^"-n^.
y ^ O V
':^
^a
'\
■ -■■■a -
0 O,
•^--0^ :^^
-m..
"K
oK
-^^0^
>'^y ,/'X''>^-'./^
:'^^ui^-^,*
,i
.0^ .-^'. ^ "" '^
"^,
>>^
\. f • c> '** '"V
,0 ^^ ->^i^/ J^ <
^<^.
V^ .
^.^ /»^ %.^- ^^
0- '^•
,^^% ^'Vlff • /%
V o ' * °-
^^/^ *
\^
^.
o
^^ 'o . » * G^ \D „ .
-7^ ■
f.
cV' .V
,<jv*
-f
':^T*' A
<.
o " " * "O
4 O
V^ ,
•bv^',
c
N ' ' '. -r.
.^
'V^ /-^
^^-n^
^ ^
joi
.IB "5 r^ Ft-
/^/f^
Cff
MEMOIRS OF
COLONEL SEBAvSTlAN BEAUMAN.
AND HIS DESCENDANTS.
PREFACE.
The subject of the ensuing Memoir served
his countr}' with honor and distinction
throughout the entire war of the American
Revolution, also in the French and Indian
wars, under Washington.
LIST OF AUTHORITIES.
In the preparation of this History- the
following works have been freeh' consulted
and from some of them copious extracts have
been taken; esj)ecially from the first named:
Mrs. Quincy's Memoirs of Josiah Quincy.
N. Y. Historical Society Eecords.
Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution.
Due De Chastellux' Travels in North America.
Documentary History of New York, Vol. III.
Martha Lamb's History of New York.
History of West Point, by Major Boynton.
Harper's Magazine, October, 1871.
Cosmopolitan Magazine, April 1889.
Evacuation Day, 1783, by James Riker.
Picturesque Washington.
Major Shaw's Journals, by Josiah Quincy.
History of Kingston, by Marius Schoonmaker.
From the New York Records of the Revolution, at
Washington, D. C.
Proceedings of the Provincial Congress, and the New
York Eecords, at Albany, N. Y.
>^-i
insu;m A OK vwv so«'n'i'> ok imik cincinn a ri.
Q:^,
^.
^Pi:2 ^-^-^o-iJ^-s^i^^ '
MEMOIRS OF COLONEL SEBAS--
TIAN BEAUMAN.
MILITARY RIXORUS OI' C()IJ)S}'.L SIUJAS'lIAN
UKAUMAN.
AL the: Xcvv York 11 isLoric'il Society
R()(}]ns, the rollowin;^ is n-v.<>r<\<(] of Sebastian
Bcaumnn:
"Sehastinn I'eriuman — Major N. Y. Artil-
lery, Horn ?it l'"r;tjikrort-on-the-Main, in
Germany, on tlie f)tli of April, 1 7''>'), ;inrl fjierj
in N. Y. City, r;n the 1 9tli of Oetoln-r, 180:i.
He was edueated at Ileidelher;^ University as
an Engineer and Artillerist in the Austrian ser-
vice, f;ecoming a strict disci|)lin?jrian."
It is claimed hy his family that his father,
resiflin;:^ in the castle where Maria Theresa
(Empress ofO^rrnany, Archduchess of Austria,
and (^ueen of llun;^aryj held her court when
at I'Vankfort, was associ;ited with her house-
hold, lies was present, with his jjarents, at
the coronation of the Ivm press, October 20,
1740, and was held u\> in his father's arms to
kiss the I'^mfiress on th;it occasion.
lie came to America in eonserjuence of a
duel and said to his mother, a Sf^anish lady,
at parting: "You will hear from me, .'ind 1 will
1
2 MEMOIRS OF
do honor to my name in the new country
to which I go."
He was an officer in the French and In-
dian wars with Washington, and was a
colonel under General Gage. His regiment
was commended by Washington m 1 / 6 / .
On the 11th of September, 1766, Colonel
Sebastian Beauman married Anna Wetzell, of
New York Citv.
In May 1775, Sebastian Beauman was
appointed captain of a mihtia company m
New York, known as the "German Fusihers,
which volunteered, on the 14th of September,
in a regiment of Minute Men, known on the
Continental Establishment as the 1st Regi-
ment of New York Volunteers, Colonel John
Lasher, of which, on the 21st he was acting
as major.
On the 30th of March, 17.6, he was ap-
pointed in the permanent Continental service
captain of a company of New York artillery,
and attached to Colonel Henry Knox s Regi-
ment, on the 19th of April following. He was
on the 1st of January, 1777, transferred to the
Second Regiment of Continental Corps of
Artillery, Colonel Lamb's, and promoted to
major on the 12th of September, 1778.T
Major Beauman was in command ot West
Point at intervals from 1779-84, and selected
by Washington, 23rd of December, 1.83, on
*Memoirs of Josiah Quiucy.
i-New York Historical Society Records.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAU MAN. S
the reduction of the army, to command
the Battalion of Continental Artillery, retamed
with which he served until honorably dis-
charged, 20th of June, 1784. ,^, „
From the New York Records of the Revo-
lution at Washington. D. C, the followmg
appears. (Vol. 1, page 153).
"Colonel Beauman joined with other New
York Officers, on September 21, l^^f 'n a
oetition to the Committee of Safety foi the
Cvince of New York, praying for more gen-
eral military training and disciphne.
On page 224, "Major Sebastian Beau-
man," is recorded among "other officers of the
First Battalion of New York, who are wiUmg
to enter into the service of their country.
From page 302, it appears that a recruit-
in., warrant was issued by the convention to
Sebastian Beauman, Esqr., captam of a com-
panv of artillery in the regiment commanded
by Henry Knox, Esqr., March 30th, 1776.
In the petition of John Doughty to the
Senate and Assembly of New York, dated Sep-
tember 1st, 1779, a certain company lately
commanded by MajorBeauman,nowbyeapt.
George Fleming," is referred to as bemg t«
consimiU casu with Donghty's companjs
which up to that time had not been adopted
by the State, and was serving at its own ex-
pense, and greatiy embarrassed thereby. The
petition is, that these two companies might be
taken into the service of the State, and have
4 MEMOIRS OF
the same benefits extended to them as to the
other troops of the State. It appears from
this petition that Alajor Beanman and his
company armed and ecpiipped themselves,
and served at first, entirely at their own ex-
pense.
The following is from the New York State
Archives, at Washington, D. C, Vol. XV., pp.
91-2.
PKOCEKDINGS OF TIIK PKOVINCIAT. CONGRESS.
Die Sabbati, icth H. A. JM ., March 30^ i-j^d.
Major Sebastian Beanman having signi-
fied his willingness to render any services in his
power for the defence of the Liberties of this
Country. This Committee, reposing Especial
Confidence in his Patriotism, Valonr, Conduct
and Fidelity, think him well (pudltied to Com-
mand an Artillery Company in the Conti-
nental Service; "Resolved and Ordered, that
Sebastian Beanman, Ksq., be and he is hereby
appointed Cai^tain of the Continental Com-
pany of Artillery, ordered to be raised in this
Colony, which company J\Ir. Beanman is
hereby authorized and requested to enlist
with all possible dis])atch."
From the proceecUngs of the Provincial
Congress, of April 11th, 1776, it appears that
one Joseph Crane was appointed a lieutenant
in the Continental company of artillery where-
of Sebastian Beaiunan, Esq., was captain. Evi-
dently Captain Beanman \vas not long iu
raising his company.
COLOXKL HEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. r,
In the list of the New York Line, is the
foliowin;^ — hcaumnn being the Bccond man
mentioned: — Officers and soldiers of the Second,
orXew York Regiment of Artillery: "lieauman,
Sebastian, Major, succeeded in command of
the company, fjy Capt. George Fleming " This
list of the line was a private compilation of
one Alexander Xeely, X. Y., clerk in the war
department at Washington, and purchased of
him in 1803, after the war department fire,
by the State of Xew York, for a hundred acres
of land in Cayuga County. It appears that
lieauman and the immortal Hamilton were
both originally captains in the same New
York regiment of artillery.
When the British took possession of New
York City, September 1 5th, 1 776, Major Beau-
man was the last man to leave the city. He
was left with only eighty men, and tv/o howit-
zers, vv'hich he got off at the risk of his life; the
British had then two shipis of war in the
stream. British officers quartered themselves
in Beauman's house in the city, and his wife
and three little daughters fled to West Point
for protection, and the family were at West
Point when the news reached them of Arnold's
base treason, and Major Andre's capture, with
the maps of the fortifications of the different
posts in Andre's boots. The maps had been
p>repared by Major Beauman for Washington's
use, and were stolen b3' Arnold.
These papers are now in the possession of
6 MEMOIRS OF
the state libraiy at Albany, in legible con-
dition, showing the imprint of Andre's foot
on some of the pajoers. The compiler of this
histor^^ of Beatiman's life had the pleasure of
seeing the papers there only a short time
ago.* Those that were written on one side
only, were pasted secureU' on heaY3^ paste-
board for better protection, and all were
secured in a massive walnnt frame; and thus
carefulh^ protected, thej^ looked as though
they might last for future ages to gaze upon.
Major Beauman was at Valley Forge that
hard winter, and furnished his troops w'ith
shoes and clothes at the same time Lafa3'ette
did. Later he pawned his plate, and silver of
all kinds, to buy provisions for his famishing
troops, paying a very large percentage from
his own private funds. But he never tired
fighting for his country. At one time he and
Lafaj'ette were buried under the snow all one
day and night. Washington sent scouts on
the path they had taken, to hunt until they
were found. When discovered they were more
dead than alive.
He was loved b3^ all his soldiers, idolized
b}^ his raanj servants, respected and honored
by all the officers, and by the General-in-chief
especially.
He was present at the surrender of Corn-
wallis at Yorktown, and again made use of
his professional skill in preparing for himself
* October 10, 1894.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 7
a "Map of Siege and Situation of York-
town," which Washington and other officers
requested him to engrave. (It was inserted
by John Austin Stevens, with other interesting
details of the victory, in the January, 1880,
number of 'The Magazine of America'.")
As Beauman was the last man to leave
New York, September 15th, 1776, when the
British took possession, he was the first to
return at the head of the army, November 25,
1783, bearing the American flag, which he or-
dered planted on thebatter^' before the British
left the harbor.
Beauman "was also colonel of the State
Regiment of Artillery in New York from 1 785
until it assisted in depositing his hody — Octo-
ber 23, 1803 — wrapped in the American Flag,
in the Dutch church3'ard at the corner of Nas-
sau and Liberty streets, which honored land-
mark, in the city's progress, was taken dovvm."
His name appears on the Half-pay roll.
He Vk^as one of the original members of the
Society of the Cincinnati, and his certificate
and badge of the societ}^ are now in the pos-
session of his onl3^ living grandson, Sebastian
Beauman Doll,* of Napanoch, Ulster Co., N.
Y. His military commissions and the sword
and sash he wore throughout the Revolution-
ary War, are now in the possession of one of
his descendants, Mrs. Anna Vanderpool Vail,
♦Since Deceased.
8 MEMOIKS OF
of Baltimore, Md., also a small pair of gold
scissors, presented to a member of the family
by Martha Washington.
Mrs. E. W. Fairchild, of Monticello, N.
Y., is the possessor of a sword Colonel Beau-
man captured from a British officer, during the
War of the Revolution.
"Beauman was appointed the first federal
postmaster, in New York City, by Washing-
ton in 1789, which position he held with credit
until his death, October 19, 1803.
"The post-office was kept in the house of
Colonel Beauman, on William Street; one room,
twent3'-fiYe by thirty-five feet, and containing
about one hundred boxes, was where the mail
was distributed . This post-office was enlarged
to accommodate the demands of the increasing
population, but it remained in the same place
imtil 1821."
Harpers' Magazine of Oct., 1 871, speaking
of the old post-office says: "William Bedlow
was the first postmaster after the close of
the war, as his name appears in that connec-
tion in 1785; but in the succeeding j^ear (1786)
Sebastian Beauman was postmaster, as
shown in the first directory of the city ever pub-
lished, in which we find 926 names of citizens,
the members of Congress, etc.
"The income of the New York post-office
the first 3^ear (1786) was $2,789.84, and from
this amount as a starting point can be cor-
rectly estimated the annual increase of the
postal business of New York Citv.
"On the 30th of April, 1789, Washington
was inaugurated President, and the establish-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 9
ment of the general post-office as now organ-
ized immediateh^ followed. Samuel Osgood
was appointed Postmaster General and as-
sumed his duties in the city of New York, un-
der the tuition of Sebastian Beauman. What
should be done with this important official
was evidenth" a subject of congressional dis-
«"ussion; for we find officially recorded that
'the Postmaster General shall not keep an^--
office separate from the one in which the mails
arriving in New York are opened and distrib-
uted, that he ma\^ by his presence prevent ir-
regularities, and rectify mistakes which may
occur.' "
In fact, this now most important officer
of the general government, and his solitarj^ as-
sistant and one clerk, had nothing to do, so
they took their first lessons in the service in
the post-office of the cit^^ of New York.
At this time there were throughout the
United States seventy-five legally established
post-offices, and one thousand eight hundred
and vSeventy-five miles of post-office routes.
In a verj" short time the national capital
was transferred to Philadelphia, which had
three penny-post carriers where New York had
one; suggestive data of the comparative im-
portance of the two cities at that time. The
southern, or Philadelphia mail left Ne\v York
daily, the eastern mail tri- weekly, special mails
for New Jersej^ and Long Island, once a week.
Mails to Albany were carried on horseback,
contractor's remuneration being the "postage
collected."
10 MEMOIRS OF
Colonel Sebastian Beauman died in 1803,
and his successor, Josias Ten Eyck, after what
\Yas to the public probably an uneventful
3^ear, gave way to General Theodorus Bailey,
who received the appointment Januar\^ 2nd,
1804, and who satisfactorily^ performed the
duties of that office for nearly a quarter of a
centur3^
At this point it maj- not be amiss to insert
some post-office receipts given to Colonel Beau-
inan during his term of office as postmaster of
New York City.
"General Post Office.
"October 7, 1799.
^^Dear Sir:
"I have receii^ed j'our Letter of
the 30th ult., enclosing l^hree Thousand dol-
lars which Sum is to j^our Credit in the Books
of this office.
'T am Sir
"Yours Sincereh^
"Chas. Bursall,
"Asst. P. M. G.
"Sebastian Beauman, Esquire."
"New York, Nov. 5th, 1799.
"Received of Sebastian Beauman, Esquire,
Two Thousand five hundred and eighty-seven
dollars and eightj^-one Cents on account of the
Post Office at New York.
"2,587.^ Dollars.
"Chas. Bursall,
"Asst. P. M. G."
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 11
"Notice of the Arrivals and Departures of
the Mails at the Post Office in New York, 1786.
ARRIVALS.
FROM NEW ENGLAND AND ALBANY.
FROM NOVEMBER IST TO MAY IST.
On Saturday- at seven o'clock P. M.
FROM MAY 1st TO NOVEMBER IST.
On Tuesday, Thursdaj^ and Saturday
at eight o'clock P. M.
FROM THE SOUTHWARD.
F^ROM NOVEMBER IST TO MAY IST.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday
at nine o'clock P. M.
DEPARTURES.
FOR NEW ENGLAND AND ALBANY.
FROM NOVEMBER IST TO MAY IST.
On Sunda^^, Tuesday and Thursday at
ten o'clock P. M.
FOR THE SOUTHWARD.
FROM NOVEMBER IST TO MAY IST.
On Sundaj' and Thursday at two
o'clock P.M.
FROM MAY 1st TO NOVEMBER IST.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday
at five o'clock P. M.
*^* Letters must be in the office half an
hour before closing."
Congress in those early da^'s was more
considerate of the personal comfort of the
post-office clerks than at the present time.
The follo^ving letter from Mrs. AL C.
Tappen corroborates the foregoing:
12 MEMOIRS OF
''Brooklyn, April 17, 1S76.
"I have in my possession a Punch
Bowl inherited by nie from my mother, the
eldest daughter of Colonel Sebastian Bauman,
a Revolutionary officer, and the first Federal
Post Master of New York.
"We have always called it the Washington
Bowl, from the circumstance that General
Washington has frequently drunk from it as
he was a most intimate friend of Washington,
and was associated with him during the
Avhole war; their families were on most inti-
mate terms, residing near each other at West
Point, Morristown and Hanover, Long Is-
land. AYhile the war was continued at that
time this bowl was used on many occasions,
one of which was a fete given b\' Colonel Bau-
man to General LaFa3'ette at West Point.
"Colonel Bauman was a most accom-
plished gentleman, and a proficient Military
officer. He was appointed Post Master at
New York by Washington in 1780 and re-
tained the office until his death, Oct. 19th,
1803.
"Washington was a frecpient visitor at
his house during his presidencN', as well as
the most noted men of that day. General La
Fayette, Baron Stuben, General Knox, Aaron
Burr, Alexander Hamilton, the DePuysters
and many other prominent men.
"Over this bowl the Erie Canal was
planned betw^een Colonel Bauman and DeWitt
Clinton. In my own family we have drunk
punch from it for over thirty years every -Ith
of Juh^ I prize this relic highly from its many
associations.
"(Mrs.) Maria C. Tappen."
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 18
In 1790 there were but seventy-five post-
offices in the United States and in 1 807 there
were 75,000 post-offices, and the money now-
spent by the Government each year for the
support of the post-offices would have more
than paid the national debt at the close of the
I^evolutionary War.
"By the Constitution of the United States,
Congress was given the right to establish
post-offices and post-roads. The office ot
Postmaster General was created in 1789, and
the General Postoffice was established in 1794-.
On the 2nd of March, 1799, Congress passed
an act to establish the General Postoffice in
Washington. The Department has had a
wonderful growth. Fifty years ago* (1888
the present writing) there were 10,693 post-
offices throughout the country, and the reve-
nue from them was only $2,823,749. At pres-
ent there are 47,80.') post-offices, and the year-
ly revenue of the department is over $45,000,-
000. To carry on the postal service requires
the assistemce of 07,000 persons.
"The Postmaster General, who has the
supervision of the affairs of the Postoffice De-
partment is a member of the Cabinet and re-
ceives $8,000 per year. There are three as-
sistant postmasters general appointed b}' the
President, who receive $4,000 each.
"No department of the government is
better managed than that of the post-
office. The details of the immense business
are thoroughly attended to, its expenditures
are usually ver^' judicious, and its working
♦1888
14 MEMOIRS OF
system is constantly being" improved to meet
the public requirement." *
(See Picturesquo AVashington.l
As a disciplinarian and a brave soldier
Major Beannian ranked high, his services to
his country were invaluable. Our regulars
were never beaten in a fair figlit after their dis-
cipline at Valley Forge.
Johnston, in his "Siege of Yorktown,"
says that the American artillery commanders.
General Knox, Colonel Lamb, Lieutenant Col-
onels Stevens and Carrington and Alajor
Beauman amazed both the French and English
by their skill, and that they were ecjual to the
best of the European soldiers. Johnston also
says that Beauman's map is by far the most
accurate and highly llnished map, and that
the later ones are copies of it.
The British at one time made an attempt
to assassinate Major Beauman in a tent at
West Point, where he had commanded at in-
tervals for four or five years during the War of
the Revolution.
Major Shaw, aid-de-camp to General
Knox, and engaged to Major Beauman's eld-
est daughter, Maria, afterward related the
circumstance to Major Beaunmn's family.
Beauman had refused to take a couple of
*In ISi'ii tho Fostortioe department directod the 7.">,"i70po<t-otVices, mus-
tered aa ani\y of iOO.iOO employe*, spent ifU\'),0(iO,i.HX\ and eounted receipts of
nearly the same amount. iSee "The Cosmopolitan" for May, is;';'.'*
"When Timothy Pickerins; served as Posniiaster Weneral In Wash-
ington's administratiou, his balance shi-et of expenditures and receipts for a
whole quarter of a year showed an aggregate ol $t>S,iH.Xi. which is the expendi-
ture of every six hours now."
C0L0NP:L SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 16
cannon from West Point and put on Arnold's
sloop oi war, mistrusting Arnold's patriotism
from the first day he was put in command at
West Point, which the following correspon-
dence will verify:
''West Point, 20 Sept., 17S0.
"In the evening.
^^ Dear Sir:
"You must have two 12-poundcrs
placed in the batteries around Fort Willets,
with a proper security of cannon under quar-
ters.
"Your humble Servant
"Knox.
"Robison House.
"Alajor Bauman."
"To General Knox,
"West Point, 28 Sept., 17S0.
''(Dear General:
"Agreeable to your letter to me,
dated the night before last 9 o'clock I made
the best disposition possible considering the
late hour, 12 o'clock at night, in which I re-
ceived your order.
"I have kept both officers and men on their
respective alarm posts during the night. I
had 2 12-pounders carried early this morning
to Willets redoubt: I could not do it yester-
da}'. Your letter came to me for that pur-
pose, in the dark of the evening. I have now
every battery in order. All the implements
placed toever^^gun. The ammunition I shrdl
retain in the magazine until the time of alarm,
for there is no proper place on the different
batteries for the security of the ammunition,
16 MEMOIRS OF
nor artillery' men enougli to guard the same
from being stolen, which would be the case,
should I place ammunition on the dift'erent
batteries before it is needed. I am not at all
sorry ot what has happened, because I am glad
of its timely discovery. For it does plainly ap-
pear that there is a guardian Angel who
watches over this country-, and his Excellency,
and that imperceptible to millions who dwell
in it, and General Arnold has but a poor idea
of this place. Which I can assure 3'ou, after all
his inquiries of its particular strength, and the
weakest part of it. For his head appeared to
me bewildered from the first moment he took
command here. Which, however, I thought to
proceed from an over avaricious disposition,
which I found to be his ruling passion, more so
than any Military officer on duty here. There-
fore I am very little apprehensive of his doing
us any harm in this quarter unless he is too
much acc^uainted with the operations of the
Cabinet. But should you really think the en-
emies' designs to be bent this wa}^ I would
advise for one or more companies of Artillery'-
to be ordered here. For there is not men
enough for everj'thing in this place.
"I am with profound respect Dr. Gen'l
"Your most obedient and very
humble servant
"S. Bauman, Maj.
"Comd't. of Artillery.
'To General Knox."
''Dear Sir:
<»o
Sept. 28, 1780.
"I received 3^our favor of 3'esterday
and am liapp^^ in 3'our assurance that every-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 17
thing in the ordnance department in the re-
doul)t and batteries is in the best order.
"I have onh' to request that they shall be
kept in the most perfect readiness to action.
"I am dear sir
*'Your humble servant
"Knox.
"Major Banman,"
Copy of papers found in Andre's book.
"West Point, September 5th, 1780
"Artiller}' Orders — The following dispo-
sition of the corps is to take place in case of
an alarm:
"Captain Daniells with his Company at
Fort Putnam, and to detach an officer with 12
men to Wjdlys's Redoubt, a Non Commission-
ed Officer with 3 men to Webb's Redoubt, and
the like number to Redouljt No. 4
"Captain Thomas and Compan^^ to Fort
Arnold, Captain Simmons and Conipan\^ to
remain at the North and South Redoubt, at
the East side of the River until further orders.
Lieutenant Barber, with 20 men of Captain
Jackson's Company will repair to Constitu-
tion Island, the remainder of the Company
vv'-ith Lieutenant Mason's will repair to Ar-
nold, Captain George and Lieutenant Blake,
with 20 men of Captain Tread well's Com-
pan3% will repair to Redoubts No. 1 and 2;
the remainder of the Company- will be sent to
Fort Arnold.
"Lieut. Jones's Company, with Lieutenant
Fish, to repair to the South Batter^^
"The Chain Batter3% Sherburn's Redoubt,
and the Brass Field pieces will be manned
from Fort Arnold, as occasion maj' require.
18 MEMOIRS OF
"The Commissar^' and Conductor of Mil-
itar\^ Stores will in turn wait tipon the Com-
manding Officer of Artillery for Orders.
"The Artificers in the garrison (agi'ceable
to former orders) will repair to Fort Arnold
and there receive further orders from the Com-
manding Officer of Artillery.
"S. Bauman,
''Major Comm't Artillery."
"As this document gave the British full in-
formation of what would be the disposition of
the American troops on the occasion; and as
Sir Henry Clinton and many of his officers
were acquainted with the ground, they would
know at what particular points to make their
attacks.
"Two of the documents found in Andre's
boots are in Arnold's handwriting, and one in
the handwriting of Yillcfranche, a French
engineer."
(Lossing's Field l?ook of the Revolution.)
The following letter is written b\' Ar-
nold's aid-de-camp, Richard D. Yarick, and ad-
dressed to Major Beamnan. The letter is
dated:
"Headouarters Robinson House,
"September Sth, 1780.
"^/>.-
"Col. Livingston commanding at King's
Ferry in a letter of the Gth informs the Gener-
al that the Gin which was at that Post is
taken away with the Main Army; that he has
not the means of removing the pieces of ord-
nance from his posts in Case it should on an
emergency, be deemed expedient.
20 MEMOIRS OF
"West Point, April 17, 17S1.
''Sir:
"In order to make the matter as short as
possible which again has been enjoined to me
respecting your profession in the art of gnn-
n' .y, Yott are to fire onl}^ two shells, with
what charge of powder you please, at an ele-
vation of 45 Degrees, and two others, one
above, one IjcIow 45 at what angle of eleva-
tion 3^ou please, the time of flight to be ascer-
tained by calculation.
"You will also fire five shells from an
eight-inch Howitzer, at different elevations,
and with what charge of Powder 3'ou please,
the time of flight to be likewise ascertained
by calculation, either on ascent, descent, or the
horizon.
"You are at liberty, in order to ascertain
the strength of the Powder, you may fire the
above number of dead shells with any given
charge of pow^der you mean to fill the live
shells with which you must fire the day after
to-morrow if the \veather will permit it, for I
have received orders to have it deferred no
longer by you. You will therefore let me
know how many Artillery men you may want
that I ma}^ give orders accordingl_v.
"I am sir your most humljle servant,
"S. Bauman,
"Major Com'd of Artillery."
Lieutenant Ford to Major Beauman.
"MoRRivSTOWN, March 5, 1781.
''Dear Major:
"I am yet here and the business I came on
unsettled, the Commissioners are about my
business now, and next week I expect to go to
20 MEMOIRS OF
"West Point, April 17, 1781.
''Sir:
"In order to make the matter as short as
possible which again has been enjoined to me
respecting your profession in the art of gun-
ner\'. You are to lire only two shells, \vith
what charge of powder you please, at an ele-
vation of 45 Degrees, and two others, one
above, one below 4-5 at what angle of eleva-
tion A'oti please, the time of flight to be ascer-
tained bA' calculation.
"You will also lire live shells from an
eight-inch Howitzer, at difterent elevations,
and with Avhat charge of Powder you please,
the time of flight to be likewise ascertained
by calculation, either on ascent, descent, or the
horizon.
"You are at liberty, in order to ascertain
the strength of the Powder, you may lire the
above number of dead shells with any given
charge of powder you mean to flll the live
shells with which you must fire the day after
to-morrow if the weather will permit it, for I
have received orders to have it deferred no
longer by you. You will therefore let me
know how many Artillery men you may want
that I may give orders accordingly.
"I am sir vour most humble servant,
"S. Bauman,
"Major Com'd of Artillery."
Lieutenant Ford to Major Beauman.
"MoRRiSTOWX, March 5, 1781.
''Dear Major:
"I am yet here and the business I came on
unsettled, the Commissioners are about my
business now, and next week I expect to go to
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 21
Trenton to the Treasurer and receive the
mone3', as soon after m\^ return as possible
I shall proceed to West Point — We have noth-
ing new here except L- Cornwallis is mak-
ing large strides towards Virginia, it is Ex-
pected to join the Infamous Arnold. General
Greene is retreating before him, ]3y the last ac-
counts he v^as on the borders of Virginia. I
wish he may lead himself into a premunition
he may not easih^ escape from,
"My compliments to Mrs. Bauman and
family and the Gen- of the Corps.
"I am Dr. Maj- Your humble Servant
"C. Ford.
"Major Bauman."
"Baltimore, Sept. 6, 1781.
''Sir:
"You will take charge particularly of the
Border ship and go in her. You will proceed
down the Bay with the fleet under the com-
mand of Gen. Clinton to whom you will
apply upon saiy emergencies and further direc-
tions, On your arrival wherever the fleet is
destined, You will give notice to Gen. Knox
(an ofiicer commanding the American Artil-
lery) of your arrival and there await the
orders for the stores to be landed. Should
the Infantrj^ disembark before you receive or-
ders where the stores are to be landed 3'ou
will collect all the vessels which have stores
aboard and wait for orders.
"You will also take care of the Schooner
which came here from (the name is obliterated
by ravages of time) and convej^ her with 3'ou.
"S. Bauman,
"Major of the 2nd Brigade of Artiller3\
"To Lieutenant Ford."
22 MEMOIRS OK
'*Wrst Point, Feb. 1, 1780.
''Sir:
"'j^lic Bearer of this will deliver you two
Iron 12-])ouii(lers, bein»i: part and the last of
the Stores wliieh is to i;'o iVoni here to b"'ort
Sehuyler.
"The day 1)efore yesterday I sent five
sledi^^es loaded with loose Balls — yesterday six-
teen loaded with aninuinition and imple-
ments, with a eonductor who is directcv. to
deliver the whole to you.
"Today I sent the above mentioned ean-
tion to Fishkill landini;- by desire of Col. Hay,
who, whenever two sledges ean be had for
that purpose, is to forward them to Albany,
to whom I likewise direeted this letter to be
given to one of the drivers, with injimetion to
hand the same to 3^011 at their arrived with
the cannon at Albany.
"S. Baitman,
"Major Comm'cU Artillery.
"P. S. Please to let me know if all comes
safe to hand.
"To Col. Rensrdier, Commissary of Stores
at Al])any."
Colonel Beauman was at West Point as
early as 1771), whieh the following* correspon-
dence with Colonel Landj will verify:
"Fort Arnold, June 7, 1779.
"* * * * 1 should be exceedingly obliged
to you if you could procure me a Horseman's
Tent as 1 am without Quarters, without any
Bedding, and sometimes without eating, and
if nature had not provided Water (which is in
great plenty here) would be without drink
"S. Bauman."
COLON lOIi SIOBASri AN JilOAIJMAN. 2'.i
A^ain lie s.'iys:
"Whst 1\)Int, June 'M), 1771)
"I should be exceed iii^^^ly li.'Li)i>y if you
co'dd j)«'iy me a visit. I have at ])resent
jiiiddliii/j^ ^(>()(\ (juarters. I could accomo-
date you in a manner so as to nllord you a
night's lodp^in;:^, and give you Continental
fare. As for iitjuors, I have none, my daily
drink is water which I think rather hard for a
man in years, and wlio is on continual fa-
tigue, and who never before experienced so
mean nutriment * * * ♦
"S. lUUMAN."
(lijiiiih Mhh., N. v., I[iH. Col.)
Beauman's crest is a very nol)Ie one. It
shows tliat he is ofroyrd descent, as it repre-
sents the imperial eagle of Austria, crowned,
gazing at the "Sun in hisSplendr)r" and grasp-
ing a bow with his talons.
THE BEAUMAN CREST.
v5,o
24 MEMOIRS OF
Due Do Chastelleux in liis book of
"Travels in America," describes his astonish-
iiieiil, in visitini;- Major Beamnan at West
Point, at "secins^-, in tlic wilderness, such re-
iined and beautiful women, and such nicely
furnished rooms with line enL:,ravinL;s on the
walls." It makes him think he is in Europe.
Major Beauman to Governor Clinton.
"West Point, l^H Au-'t. 1783.
"It is stron<4iy su<.^gested that the British
are about to leave New York, and that part
of the infantry now on the line are to march
into the City as soon as it is evacuated. I
am therefore recjuested by the officers of the
two remaining- Companies of the New York
reL;iment of Artillery to solicit your Bxeellen-
cv that they nuLiht be included in having the
honor to take possession of the Metropolis in
case our troops shouhl be ordered lor that
purpose.
"The only State trooi)s in the event (the
name is obliterated by age) would think
themselves highly honored should your Excel-
lency intercede for us on this occasion.
"One Ca|)t-, Lieutenant, one Subaltern,
one Sergeant, one Corp. and twenty (the
names again obliterated) are tmder marching
orders to go to Oswego.
"1 have the Honor to be with great esteem
"Your Excellencies
"Most obe'd- and very
"lunnble Ser'nt,
"S. Bauman,
"Maj. Artillery.
"Governor Clinton."
JOLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 2T>
"November 25th, 1783, the day the Brit-
ish evacuated the city of New York, wavS a
cold, frosty, but clear and brilliant morning.
The American troops under (General Knox, who
had come down from West Point and en-
camped at Harlem, marched to Bowery Lane,
and halted at the ])resent junction of Third
Avenue and the Bowery. There they re-
mained until about one o'clock in the after-
noon, when the British left their posts in that
vicinity and marched to Whitehall (as the
British claimed the ri^ht of possession until
noon of that day.) The American troops fol-
lowed, and before three o'clock General Knox
took formal possession of Fort George, amid
the acclamations of the vast multitude of
emancipated free men, who had returned to
their desolated homes in the City, and the roar
of Artillery upon the Battery."
(LoHBing's Field Book of tlie Kovolutiori.)
Bcauman, Major Commandant of Artil-
lery, (under General Knox) ^ave the order to
haul down the British flag and hoist the
American flag on the Battery fjcfore the Brit-
ish left the harbor, which was executed with
marvelous skill and adroitness bj- a young
sailor, John Van Ausdale, who with cleats,
nails and a hammer, also tying a halyard
about his waist, made the perilous ascent, for
the Tories had not only knocked off all the
cleats and unreeved the halyards, but had
greased the shaft, and nailed the British flag
to the flag-staff. The fifty ships constituting
the English fleet were already moving down
26 MEMOIRS OF
the bay but before they got out of sight the
American flag was proudly floating to the
breeze where the British flag had so recently
flaunted over them.
Washington repaired to his quarters at
the tavern of Samuel Fraunces, and there dur-
ing the afternoon Governor Clinton gave a
public dinner to the officers of the army, and
in the evening the town was brilliantly illum-
inated, Major Beauman having charge of the
fireworks.
The troops entered the cit^^ from the
Bower3^ through Chatham Street. Washing-
ton and his staff and Governor Clinton and
the state officers soon afterward made a pub-
lic entry.
Letter from Major S. Shaw to Mr. and
Mrs. Beauman.
"The permission granted me b3' the par-
ents of nn^ beloved Maria has loeen attended
with that effect which a consciousness of the
rectitude of my intentions induced me to hope
for. While I thank you, my dear friends, for
this instance of partiality in my favor, I think
it incumbent to add that your amiable daugh-
ter has consented to be mine. I am no less
hers by the indissoluble tics of affection and
principle.
''Under the painful idea that a temporary
separation must shorth^ take place, It aftbrds
me great relief, that by remaining with you
she will reap every benefit that is to be de-
rived from the tenderness and attention of the
CQLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 27
best of parents. On m}' return I promise my-
self the happiness of /giving- my hand to her,
wh.j has the entire possession of my heart, —
and that I shall then be allowed to eall the
parents of my lovely Maria those of their
obliged and grateful
"S. vShaw.
"West Point,
"3d August, 1783.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bauman."
Letter from Major S. Shaw to Miss Beau-
man.
"'How fares my lovely Maria' — is a con-
sideration ever uppermost in the heart of her
faithful and affectionate Shaw. Could I be
told that you are in health — that you are
happy — the satisfaction I feel in being thus far
on my voyage could be commuted into the
most perfect felicity.
"At such an almost infinite distance, it is
very uncertain whether any letter from me can
reach you. But I cannot prevail on myself to
omit a single opportunity, however remote.
After a pleasant passage, we came to anchor
at Princes Island, in the Strait of Florida, left
Saturday evening, having seen neither land
nor a sail since we left St. Jago, one of the
Cape de Verde Islands, sixteen wrecks ago,
from which place I wrote by the way of His-
panolia and Lisbon. Have an^^ of those si-
lent messengers told their errand to my dear-
est girl— and is it possible that the present
will find their \vay?
"They must take a circuitous route from
this to Batavia — thence back to Holland, and
28 MEMOIRS OF
SO on to their journey's end. If thc^v arc not
expeditions I may get the start of them.
"We are so fortunate as to find liere a
French ship going directly to Canton, the
Captain of which has been there eleven times.
The behavior of himself and his officers to-
Avard us, is marked with that politeness and
friendship which so eminently distinguished
his nation in all their communication with
ours — and the\^ give us ever}' assurance of be-
ing serviceable to iis to the utmost of their
power.
*'We sail together tomorrow morning,
and hope to accomplish the remaining part of
our voyage in about three weeks.
"Kandall desires a remembrance with
3''OU. Hitherto m^^ amiable iriend, ever3^thing
goes well. I have not had one hour's sickness
since leaving New York. Our prospects are
flattering and I hope, with the blessing of
Heaven, to rejoice in a happy meeting with
3'ou in ten or twelve months.
"Present me most affectionately to our
dear parents, and sisters, uncle and aunt,
Michael, Matty, &c, &c — and believe me, ni\''
dearer self, that while 1 am, I can be but thine,
and thine onlv.
"S. Shaw.
"Wednesday, 21 July, 1784."
Letter from Major Shaw to Mr. and Mr».
Beanman,
'''My Dear Mr. and Mrs. Baiiuian:
"The friendship and affection I shall
ever entertain for you, and which I am
happy in knowing is reciprocate, would in-
duce me to write you a very long letter on
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 29
this occasion, were it not that our friend Ran-
Pleasure^of \ 7 '^' '^''^'^ '^"^ -^" ^^^- he
pleasure of telhng you everything resnecHnor
say that the world goes tolerably well w?th
us, and our prosoects at-t^ o-^^ i t •
shall ever regard thf-m w^ a ,. ^
^od-dauLditer^ T 1 1,^''^ ^""^'^ '"^y ^'^^^^
toafifordyou much happiness. ItisimprobI!
"Canton in China "^- ^«'''''-
"26Jan'y,'l787.
„f "-^V^; ! '^^g you do not forget mc to nn,-
of your fnends. Tell Betsey I send hS- a sm nH
box of tea ,n eanisters, not" forthe sake of the
tea, but for the canisters which are r-itW
cur,ous and may serve to set off her tea taWe
"S. S."
Major Shaw's anticipated marriage Avith
h,s beloved Maria" was never to be r^ali. d
as she d.ed of consumption before his return
t r^'-, . , """"'''• ^^^ ''^P^^ted this life Oc
tober 17th, 1784, aged seventeen years and
one month, and the following Septiber two
ofthehttle sisters Major Shaw speaks so af
fectionatelyof in his letters to Mr. ^^d Mrs
Beauman, also passed away, and the follow!
80 MEMOIRS OF
iiig April, 1786, Mrs. Sebastian Beatinian,
too, passed into the unseen world, there to be
re-tinited with the loved ones so recently- gone
on before. Her father, John Wctzell, had en-
tered into rest February 22, 1785, in his sixt3^-
fourth year.
Mrs. Beauman died at the earl^^ age of 34
3^ears and seven months, after a lingering ill-
ness of one 3'ear and more. She had shared
the harships and privation of a soldier'r life in
camp with her husband, was with hnn at
Morristown, Hanover, Long Island and spent
several jxars in camp at West Point.
Mrs. Eliza S. Ouincy in her "Memoirs of
Josiah Quincy," thus describes the funeral
pageant of Miss Maria Beauman in New York
city:
"In 1784, when Colonel Bauman returned
to my father's house in Wall Street, Maria
Bauman came to visit us. She was a lovely
3^oung woman, engaged to Major Shaw, who
had served seven ^^ears in the American Arm^^
As aid to General Knox. During her visit he
embarked from New York to open commercial
relations between the United States and China.
They were to be married on his return; I re-
member their parting at mj'- mother's house.
Maria remained with us, but her health de-
clined, and her life soon terminated.
"Colonel Bauman had returned to the
city; and her funeral from his residence,
through the streets of New York was the onl3''
one I ever saw conducted in the like manner.
The pall was supported by six 3'otmg ladies,
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. HI
dressed in white, with white hoods, scarfs and
gloves, — emblematic of the character of the
young friend they were attending for the last
time.
"The grief of Major Shaw I shall not at-
tempt to describe. By devoted attentions to
Mrs. Bauman and her family, he gave con-
vincing proofs of his attachment.
"Mrs. Bauman's other daughters were es-
timable women; but none of them equalled the
lamented Maria."
Major Shaw, on his return to New York,
May 11, 1785, first learned of Miss Beauman's
death. He sailed on his second voyage
from New York on the 4th of February,
1786, arrived at Canton on the 15th of Aug-
ust, resided during the whole of the year 1787
at that city and Macao, and sailed for Bengal
on the 18th of January 1788. He returned to
Canton in Sept. 1788, from whence he sailed
for the United States in Januarj^ 1789, and
arrived in the harbor of Newport on the 5th
of July of that year. In 1 71)0, he was again
appointed Consul to China by Washington.
He resided several years in that city, and was
engaged for a considerable period in active
commerce in the Chinese and Indian seas. On
his return voyage to New York Cit}' in 1785,
he brouglit home a great many curios; some
quite valuable, as souvenirs of his voyage,
and presented a great many of them to Mrs.
Beauman and her daughters. Several of them
32 MEMOIRS OF
are still in the possession of Mrs. Beauman's
descendants.
Before sailing on his last voyage to China,
which he did in a ship of his own, he married
Miss Hannah Philips, the daughter of William
Philips, Ksqnire, of Boston. To this lady he
was married on the 21st of August, 1792, and
thvis formed a connection from which he had
everj^ reason to expect the domestic happiness
he so highh^ prized. This event did not, how-
ever, change his plans relative to a voyage to
China, and in the month of February, 1793,
he sailed from New York for Bombay.
His outward \oyo.ge was prosperous, but
on that from Bombay to Canton his ves-
sel encountered typhoons, which drove her
from her track, and prolonged her voyage
to nearly three months, so that she did not
reach Canton until the 2nd of November, 1793.
By a letter to his wife, and by one from
his youngest brother, who accompanied him
on this voyage, it appears that during his res-
idence at Bomba}' he contracted a disease of
the liver incident to the climate, which ap-
peared soon after his departure from that city,
and confined him to his house during the
w^hole period of his sta^^ at Canton. Finding
no relief from medical aid at this place he
sailed in the ship "Washington" for the United
States, on the 17th of March, 1794. The dis-
ease, however, increased with the voyage,
and in about ten weeks terminated his life.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 33
An extract from a letter to his widow, writ-
ten by his friend and partner, Thomas Ran-
dall, who accompanied him on this voyage, re-
lates the circumstances of that event, and his
own feelings on that occasion.
"Sandy Hook, August 24, 1794.
"Dear Madam: — With a heart deeply dis-
tressed I take the pen to inform you of the
death of my beloved and esteemed friend, Mr.
Samuel Shaw, who died on board the ship
'Washington,' near the Cape of Good Hope on
Friday afternoon, 3 o'clock, on the 3()th day
of Ma}^ last. Ever^^ effort was made b}' the
surgeon, Mr. Dodge, and the friends of Mr.
Shaw, both at Canton and while at sea, to ef-
fect his recovery. * * * * But alas! his dis-
ease was too inveterate for medical aid.
"Aly friend died with a calm strength of
mind, and expressed his solicitude for the hap-
piness of his remaining friends to the last.
"I feel myself, dear Madam, so greatly
afflicted at this event, that I cannot find
words to offer 3^ou consolation upon the affect-
ing loss of so near and dear a connection to
3^ou.
"Permit me, w^hile I most sincerely lament
your loss, to join my griefs to yours, and to
assure you, dear Madam, of the respectful and
affectionate esteem, with which I am
"Your most obedient servant
"Thomas Randall."
"Mr. Shaw was born in' Boston, the 2nd
of October, 1754, and at the time of his de-
cease was aged thirty-nine years and six
months.
34 MEMOIRS OF
"During the war he was active in the field
in the defense of his country, in offices of honor
and command, while the most amiable dispo-
sition made him a favorite in scenes of private
life. He was a man rather tall and portly
than otherwise, of an open countenance and
benevolent heart, cheerful without levity, and
sedate without reserve; in the hurry of busi-
ness he had leisure to attend the distressed,
and his hand was ever open to indigence and
want. His manners were refined, and his sen-
timents worthy the character he possessed;
man}' a heavj^ heart has been enlivened by his
sociability^; and his freedom of conversation
and familiar deportment towards all the offi-
cers endeared him to them by the most pleas-
ant ties."
(See Journals of S. Shaw, by Josiah Quincy.)
"In November, 1783, Major Shaw re-
ceived from General Washington the following
testimonial of his merit and services in the
armj^ of the Revolution: —
"By his Excellencj^ George Washington,
Esq., General and Commander-in-chief of the
forces of the United States of America.
"This certifies that Captain Samuel Shaw-
was appointed a Lieutenant of Artillery in the
army of the United States of America in 1775;
the year following he was appointed Adjutant,
and in 1777 was promoted to the rank of
Captain-I/ieiitenant and Brigade Major in the
corps of Artillery, in which capacity he served
until August, 1779, when he was appointed
Aid-de-camp to Major General Knox, com-
manding the Artillery, with whom he re-
mained till the close of the war, having been
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 85
promoted to the rank of Captain of Artillery
in 1780.
"From the testimony of the superior otti-
cers under whom Captain Shaw has served, as
well as from my own observation, I am en-
abled to certify, that, throughout the whole of his
service, he has greatly distinguished himself in
everything which could entitle him to the character
of an intelligent, active, and brave officer.
"Given under my hand and seal this third
day of November, 1783.
"Geo. Washington,
"By his Excellency's command.
"Ben Walker, Aid-de-camp."
"On the 5th of January, 1784, Major
Shaw took final leave of the family of General
Knox, from whom he received m his own
handwriting, the following certificate, reflect-
ing honor alike on the qualities of his heart
and his excellence as an officer:
"This is to certify that the possessor, Cap-
tain Samuel Shaw, has borne a commission in
the Artillerv of the United States of America
upwards of eight years, more than seven of
which he has been particularly attached to the
subscriber in the capacities of adjutant, bri-
gade-major, and aid-de-camp. In the various
and arduous duties of his several stations he
has, in every instance, evinced himself an intel-
ligent, active, and gallant officer, and as such
he has peculiarly endeared himself to his num-
erous acquaintances.
"This testimony is given unsolicited on
his part. It is dictated by the pure principles
of affection and gratitude, inspired by an un-
36 MEMOIRS OF
equivocal attachment during a long and try-
ing period of the American war.
"Given under mj^ hand and seal, at West
Point, upon Hudson's River, this 5th day of
Januarv, ITS-i.
"H. Knox, M. General."
''Major Shaw took an active and efficient
part in the formation of the Society of the Cin-
cinnati. He was chosen secretary of the com-
mittee of the officers of the army who formed
it, and, according to information derived from
the late Colonel Timothy Pickering, the origi-
nal draft of its constitution was from his pen."
(See Quincy's Memoirs of Major Shaw.)
MRS. SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN's ANCESTORS AND
DESCENDANTS.
Christina Ernest, who married, in 1748,
John Wetzell, of New York, (N. A.,) was a
daughter of Dr. Ernest, of Manheim, Ger-
many, a martj^r of the Reformed religion, at
the stake.
Anna Wetzell, daughter of John and
Christina Ernest Wetzell, was married to
Colonel Sebastian Beauman, Sept. 11, 1766.
Married, on Sunday evening last, Dec. 29,
1794, By the Rev. Dr. McKnight, Mr. John
Smith, merchant, to Mrs. Agnes Wetzell, eld-
est daughter of Gen-. William Malcomb, both
of N. Y. City.
On Wednesdav eve, Sept. 28, 1796, by the
Rev. Dr. Peter Lo\ve, Dr. William H. Doll, of
Colchester, Delaware County-, N. Y., to Miss
Sophia Christina Beauman, daughter of Col-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN.
onel Sebastian Beauman and Anna Wetzell
Beauman.
On Wednesday eve, July 30tli, 1800, by
the Rev. Dr. Livingston, Rev. Peter Lowe, of
Flatbush, to Miss Eliza Beauman, second
daughter of Colonel Sebastian Beauman and
Anna Wetzell Beauman, of New York City.
RECORD OF DEATHS.
New York, October 14th, 1784. This
morning a little after five o'clock, Departed
this life, Miss Maria E. Beauman, aged seven-
teen years and one month.
1785, February 22nd, 2 in the morning,
Died, my father, John Wetzell, in his 64th
year.
1786, April 15th, at % after five this
morning, Departed this Life, my dear sister,
Anna Beauman, Aged 34 years, 7 months and
15 daj^s, after a lingering illness of a year or
more.
1788, June 9th. Died, my brother, Mat-
thew Wetzell, at Philadelphia, on his w^ay
from Charleston, South Carolina, aged 27
years, 6 months and 4 days.
CHILDREN OF SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN AND
ANNA WETZELL.
1.— Maria Ehzabeth, born, Sept. 14, 1767.
Died, October 17th, 1784.
2.— John Jacob, born, October 8th, 1769.
Died, October 23rd, 1770.
^8 MP'.MOTRS OF
3. — Ann Elizabeth, l)orn, August 15, 1771.
Died, 1825.
4<. — Sophia Christina, born, jnly 18th, 1773.
Died, October 20, 1848.
5. — Maria Christina, born, Jan'y. 18th, 177^.
Died, September 10, 1855.
6. — Ann Charlotte, born, December 24, 1776.
Died Jan. 7, 1777.
7. — Ann Snsanna, born, Nov. 1, 1771). Died,
Sept. 29, 1785, at West Point.
8. — Lucy, born, November 4-, 1781. Died,
Sept. 21)th, 1785, at West Point.
9.— Harriet Sarah, born Feb. 28th, 1784.
Died, Sept. 20, 1785, at West Point.
10. — Ann Agnes, born, Jan. l()th, 1780. Died,
April 28th, 1864, at New York City.
Ann Eliz.abeth Beanman married the Rev.
Peter Lowe, of Flatbush, July :5()th, 1800.
Sophia Christina Beauman married Dr.
William Henry Doll (son of Dr. George Jacob
Leonard Doll, D. D., of Kingston, N. Y.) Sept.
28th, 1790.
Maria Christina Beauman married Adam
T. Doll, eldest son of Rev. Dr. George Jacob
Leonard Doll, of Kingston, N. Y.
Ann Agnes Beauman married, first, Peter
Vanderlyn, of Kingston, N. Y., and after his
death married John Br en nan, of Kingston,
N. Y.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN.
THE CHILDREN OF REV. PETER LOWE AND ELIZ-
ABETH ANN BEAUMAN, HIS WIFE.
1.— Sarah Ami Lowe, born 1801, died 1S02.
2. — Beauman Lowe, born 1803, died 18 — .
3. — Sarah Livingston Lowe, born 1804, died
18~.
4. — Helen Masterton Lowe, born 1808, died
18—.
5. — Maria Christina Lowe, born 1810, died
18—
6. — ^Johannah Lowe, bom 1815, died 1818.
THE CHILDREN OF DR. WILLIAM HENRY DOLL
AND SOPHIA CHRISTINA BEAUMAN, HIS WIFE.
1.— John Jacob Doll, born May 7th, 1798,
Died Alay 9th, 1832 — unmarried — at Napa-
noch, aged 34.
2. — Jnlia Ann Caroline Doll, born Dec. 7th,
1800. Died February 18th, 1885, at Ellen-
ville, aged 85.
3. — George Jacob Leonard Doll, born April
12, 1808, at Napanoch. Died at Livingston
Manor, N. Y., Sept. 12th, 1872, aged 69.
4. --Anna Christina Doll, born Aug. 15th,
1805, at Napanoch. Died at Napanoch, N. Y.
June 21st, 1882, aged 77.
5.— Sarah S Doll, bom April 18th, 1808, at
Napanoch. Died at Ellenville, N. Y., July
27th, 1831, aged 23.
G. — William Henry Doll, born July 31st,
40 aiEMOIRS OF
ISIO, at Napanocli. Died at Syracuse, N. Y.,
Dec. 9tli, 1S73, aged 63.
7. — Sebastian Beaiiman Doll, born Nov.
15tli, 1812, at Napanocli. Died at Napanoch,
N. v., Dec. 5tli, 1S9C), ao-ed 84-.
8. — John Kemper Doll, born March 1^,
1815, at Napanoch. Died at Kingston, N. Y.
Dec. 27th, 1881, aged 66.
CHILDREN OF ADAM T. DOLL AND HIS WIFE,
MARIA CHRISTINA BEAUMAN. ^
1.— Bcaninan Doll, born March 20, 1706.
Died in infancy.
2.— George Detkin Doll, born May 30, 1797.
Died Jnly 29, 1798.
3>.— Sns'an Detkin Doll, born April 14, 1799. ^
Died AIarcli9, 18H1.
4.— Ann Maria Doll, born May 21, 1801.
Died March 2(», 1831.
v5.— Anna Agnes Doll, born April 2o, 1803.
Died Nov. 1,1 830.
6. — Sarah Christina Doll, born April 22,
1808. Died Feb. 17, 1834-.
CHILDREN OF JOHN BRENNAN AND ANN AGNES
BEAUMAN, HIS \YIFE.
1. — Eliza, died, innnarricd, aged 24. \
2. — Sophia, who married Benjamin A. New-
kirk, Henley, X. Y.
3. — Michael Sebastian, married Deborah
Laskev, Lvnn, JMass.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 41
4. — Bcauman, married Sophia Freeman, N. Y.
city.
5. — Cornelia Doll, married Samuel Marsh, N.
Y. city.
C). — Mar^^ Christina, married Dr. W. I. Well-
man, N. Y. city.
7. — Charles, who died quite young.
Eliza Susan Morton Quincy, of Ouincj,
Mass., a cousin of Mrs. Sebastian Bcauman,
has written the following narrative of some
events in the lives of her maternal ancestors,
and of her own early life. She says:
"My maternal grandfather, Jacob Kem-
per, was born in Germany, in the city of Caub,
on the river Rhine, A. I)., 1706. His father,
an officer in the Prince Palai4ne's army, was
so severely woinided, that he was obliged to
retire upon. a pension. He was a Colonel in
the army of Frederick I. of Prussia. Pie sur-
vived many battles and died, after a lingering
illness, in his easy chair, — a circumstance to
which his children used often to advert as a
singular termination of the life of a military
man, who had received fourteen wounds in
battle. His pension was continued, and his
widow was thus enabled to give each of her
three sons a liberal education. The eldest, a
physician, went to the East Indies; returned,
after many years, a man of large property;
and settled in Holland. The profession of the
second son is not remembered. Jacob Kem-
per, the youngest son, was six years of age
when his father died. He refused to finish his
42 MEMOIRS OF
studies at the university, for which he was
prepared; and insisted upon entering upon
some active employment. His mother 3'ielded
to his wishes, and purchased a vessel for him;
as master of which, he took freight, on his
own account, at the cities on the Rhine.
"In 173G, he married Maria Regina Ern-
est, of Manheim. Her father was a minister
of the Reformed Church in that city. Her
mother, a woman of rank and fortune, had of-
fended her parents hj her marriage with Mr.
Ernest, who had been her tutor. They never
forgave him; but once a j^ear, sent for their
daughter and her children to visit them at their
splendid mansion; and when her father died,
his grandchildren in America shared in her
portion of his property.
"In 1737, Mrs. Kemper accompanied her
husband to Coblentz, where her first child was
born. She received great kindness from the
ladies of that city; and one of the principals
stood godmother to the infant, and named it
after herself, Anna Gertrude.
"Her second daughter, Maria Sophia, my
mother, w^as born at Caub in 1739, and
named after her two grandmothers, Mrs.
Ernest and Mrs. Kemper.
"In 1741, a company of men called New-
landers, were employed by shipowners in Hol-
land to persuade the Germans to emigrate to
America, w^hich they described as a perfect
Acadia, — a land flowing with milk and lionet",
and enriched with mines of gold and silver.
They thus induced persons well situated in
their native countr\^ to rend asunder the ties
of kindness and affection, and to go three
thousand miles across an ocean to an un-
•0
i
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 43
known land, where the language, habits and
customs were entireh^ foreign to their own.
Mr. Kemper was so infatuated by their repre-
sentations that, contrary to the entreaties
of his mother and friends, he converted all his
possessions into money, and prepared for his
vo3'age. Mr. Kemper's mother — when she
found he was determined to leave her, and to
take his wife, to whom she was attached as to
a daughter, with her two children, one born in
her house — supplied them with ever3" accom-
modation in her power. Her onh' daughter
was married, and settled at a distance; she
was left alone, and never ceased to grieve for
the loss of her children, like that of death to
her. They heard from her occasionally^; but
in those times communication with Europe
was rare and difficult.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kemper embarked from
Amsterdam in 174-1. Their voyage was
lengthened many months b3^ touching a port
in England, where they tarried some time.
Mrs. Kemper was accompanied by her yotmg-
est sister, Maria Christina Ernest; her brother,
Matthev\' Ernest, had man\^ 3^ears previous
left Manheim, without the knowledge of his
parents. After a long time he wrote that he
had gone to America, had married a widow* of
fortune, and was established as a merchant at
a place called Rhinebeck, from the settlers hav-
ing come from the river Rhine, and from the
proprietor, Beckman. To this brother,
Matthew Ernest, Mr. and Mrs. Kemper
wished to direct their steps, but they were
landed in Philadelphia, two hundred miles
from his residence, — ignorant of the language
'Mrs. Sharpe, widow of Jacob Sharpe. of Rhinebeck, N. Y.
44 1M1'',I\1()11JS OF
ol tlic couiiliv, .'111(1 1)1 ovorvlliiiii; wliicli iiiiglit
help tluMii on llii-ir way.
"A (icriii.'in niiciit induced Mr. Konipcr to
exchange his L^i^ld and silver for dcprociatcd
paper inoiK'\\ wlnoli ho roproscntcd as ol cupial
value, and more convonicnt to oarrv, as it was
the eurrcncv of the eountrv. When Mr. Keiu-
per reaeheil New r>rniiswiek he met with an
honest (lerman resident w hose name was DilH-
diiie, to whom he exhibited his luiuls, and wdio
tolci liini he had been defrauded by a sharper.
His Journey of ei;^lity miles from IMiiladeli)liia
had exceeded all his other exi)enses since he
left Germany, from the use of the depreciated
pajKM- money, h^rom nrunswiek Mr. and Mrs.
Kemper took ])assaL;e in a sloop to New York,
and thus up the Uiidson to Rhinebeck, where
they were received with ureat kindness by
their brother, antl passed the ensuini; winter
at his hospitable abode.
"In the Spring oi' ITl'J, Mr. I^rncst ad-
viseil Mr. Kemper to take the comni<and of a
sloop which he t)wiie(l. or to buy one for hini-
seU", and ply up and down the Hudson, be-
tween Rhinebeck and New^ York, — a profitable
business in which he had been employed in
ticrmaiiy. His family could then remain near
Mr. bancs t, and have the advantaL^c of a
church and school in their own langnai^c. Hut
by a sins^ular obstinacy, as it appears to ns,
Mr. Kemi>er insisted on ^'oiui; back into the
country, on the "NewLind" he had heard so
much of, to become a farmer. He had left
Cicrmany with this ])roject, and not him;- could
divert him fiH)iii his purpose, and his ii;norance
of the Ivui^lish tcniLiuc prctbably made him dif-
lident of ent:ai:inij in a business carried on in
(K)I.0M<:L SI'll'.AS'l'lyW I'.MAI MAN. Af,
Lli.'it l.'iii;^M.'i|^c. I'indiii;^ Mr. I\iiii|)(r obsLi-
natcly hcnt upon liis jxirpose, Mr. lirncst
yielded, «iiid pureliased lor iiiiii ,'i, farm on 'tlie
l)atent' ol Robert I\. Li vin;.;sion, on n lease of
three lives, in that part ol Dutehess County,
now the town ofl'eeknian — sixty miles helow
Rliineheek, and twenty from the Hudson. On
this lariii there was a small house and a harii,
and land eleared for a /^^arden; and the rest
was as wild and uncnitivated as eould he (le-
sired; and there this laniily, l)n>u;^liL \\\i in
cities and used to all tlie »aeeonimodations of
hfe, were set down in a wilderness, i;^norant
of the best modes of elearin;^ and eultivatin^
the^^round, and ofobtainin;.^ dail^' comforts.
"Christina, li^rnest remained with her
brother Matthew, who continued to assist
Mr. and Mrs. Kemper by every means in his
])Ower. lie visited them several times a year,
and sent or brou/^ht tliem coffee, tea., sii;.(ar,
&c., sixty miles on rcjads almost im|>assable, —
c(|ual to hundreds at the present day. Mr.
Ernest always traveled on horseback: and my
motlier remembers how his saddle-ba^j^s used
tc) be loaded for the family, and the joy his ar-
rival occasioned.
"In 17 IS, Maria Christina Ivrnest mar-
ried Mr. John Wetzell, of New York, and went
to reside in that city; and Matthew lirnest
also removed to that place. These ehan/^-es in-
creased Mrs. Kemjjcr's desire to leave their se-
cluded situation; and her brother, Mr. Ernest,
on his last visit in the Autnnm proposed tliat
they sell their lease, (juit their farm, and re-
move to a place he would ])rovide for them.
"Mr. Kemper therefore sold the j)roperty
of his lease, which was on three lives,— one of
46 MEMOIRS OF '
them my mother's. A few A'ears since, in
1816, an inquiry was made if she was still liv-
ing, as the estate was still held by that tenure.
"Early in the spring of 1749, Mr. and
Mrs. Kemper left their farm, and the improve-
ments of six 3'ears, to the great regret of their
kind neighbors, who assisted to convey the
family to Rhinebeck; thence the3' went down
the Hudson in a sloop to Mr. Ernest in New
York.
"In 1749, Mr. Kemper, by the sale of his
lease, farm and improvements, repaid Mr.
Ernest for an excellent house in Albany street,
New Brunswick, N. J., and engaged in a profit-
able biisiness as a merchant.
"Here his family had the advantage of a
good school; and my mother, for the first time
within her remembrance entered a church, — an
interesting occasion she has often described.
As Mr, and Mrs. Kemper had hitherto resided
in a settlement where German \vas alone
spoken, their children knew only their mother
tongue; but by attending a church where the
services were in Low Dutch, the prevalent
language of the town, and an English Presby-
terian Church, and b3^ going to school, they
soon acquired both languages.
"The defeat of Gen. Braddock took place
at this period, and my mother remembers see-
ing the remains of his unfortunate army pass
through the town.
"Two German grenadiers, b^' the names
of Burns and Kaun, were quartered in her
father's house; and she often heard them de-
scribe that dreadful scene.
"After JMr. Kemper had resided ten years
in New Brunswick, trade was suddenly turned
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 47
into new channels; the town declined, and he
was obliged to seek a new abode. He sold a
vessel he had built to ply between Bruns-
wick and New York, and all the property
he could dispose of without sacrifice. His
real estate was retained two years, when
it was sold at a reduced price. With
the proceeds he entered into business in
New York, where Mr. Ernest was an affluent
merchant. This removal from New Bruns-
wick in 1759 was very painful to Mr. and Mrs.
Kemper, and especially to their children.
Their hearts were grieved to leave dear friends
who lamented their departure with tears, and
whose kindness they took every opportunity
to return,
"Mr. Kemper's affairs continued prosper-
ous and his family, which consisted of five
sons and four daughters, improved in their ed-
ucation. In 1760, his eldest daughter, Ger-
trude, born in Coblentz on the river Rhine,
married Dr. Miller, a young German ph\'si-
cian, who like many others, had been induced
to come to America, and was successfully
practicing his profession in New York. In
1705, he visited Germany, and as he was an
only son, and heir to a large property, his fa-
ther forbade his return. He therefore request-
ed his wife and their two children to follow
him, under the care of her two brothers, Mat-
thew and Daniel Kemper.
"Dr. Miller received them in Holland, and
conducted them to the cit}' of Konigsburgh in
the King of Prussia's dominions, where they
remained on his father's estate.
"Daniel Kemper returned, but his eldest
brother, Matthew, married, and settled near
Mrs. Miller.
48 MEMOIRS OF
"Their relatives in New York received fre-
quent letters until 1 774-, when intelligence ar-
rived of the death of Matthew Kemper, leav-
ing' a widow and one child. Mrs. Miller, in
her last letter, expressed <4reat anxiety to re-
visit her friends in America, but it was impos-
sible, and the war of the Revolution terminat-
ed all communication.
"Six wrecks after the marria<^e of Mrs.
Miller, Aug". 23, 1700, Mrs. Kemper's second
daughter, Maria Sophia, married John Mor-
ton, a young man of amiable equalities and
cheerful disposition. Descriptive cognomens
were the usage of the day, and his personal
advantages obtained for him that of 'Hand-
some Johnny.' His father was of Scottish
descent and a liberal IVotestant. His father
resided near Dawson's Bridge in the north of
Ireland. He w^as an elder in the Rev. Mr.
Henry's church for thirty years and died in
that oifice.
"Catherine, the third daughter of Mrs.
Kcmjier, married Dawson, a captain of the
British Army, Jime 15, 1708. He was a man
of amiable (lualities, to whom she was deeply
attached. Their hap])v union was severed by
her death in the first year of her marriage, and
her husband did not long survive. The sons
of Mr. Kemper were successhd in different pur-
suits in life, but the war of the Revolution
broke up their happy homes, they were sub-
jected to danger and anxiety in the theater of
actual warfare.
"What was the situation of Mr. Ernest
during all these changes, will naturally be
asked by all wdio read this narrative, and re-
member his unwearied kindness toward his sis-
r;OJ/>NEL KEHABTIAN iiKACMAN. 49
ter. After Mr. and Mrs. Kemper hnd removed
to New York, Mr. Ernest, who had aefjui red a
large property, resolved to visit Germany, in
the hopes of seeing his father once more. But
the good minister of Manheim had died one
month before hi^ arrival*. This disaj)pr>int-
ment, and the tragic death of his father, was
very affecting to Mr. Ivrnest, who, many years
before, had left his father's house without the
knowledge of his parents.
"He then learned of the fate of his sister,
Susan Hrnest, who had married and resided on
the banks of the Rhine, iiy the sudden burst-
ing of a water-spout against a mountain in
her neighborhood, a tremendous flood de-
scended to the river, carrying death and de-
struction to all within its course. Jfer house
was washed into the Rhine. vShe was last seen
standing at her door with an infant in her
arms. She perished with all the family.
"Mr. Ernest had the consolation of seeing
his mother, and his surviving sister, Catherine,
who had married Christian Hoffman, and who
with her husband and two sons, returned
with him to America. He brought workmen
from Germany and established a glass factory
six miles from Xew York; but this undertaking
failed from the incompetency of the chief person
employed, and Mr. Ernest consequently lost a
great part of his fortune.
"When the Revolution began, he entered
into business in Philadelphia, and when the
British troops came there he put all his prop-
erty and furniture on board a sloop to be tak-
en up the Delaware to Trenton, while he went
to that place by land with his wife. Instead of
"Jfe wa« burnt at Xtii «tak«; for hin religion.
60 MEMOIRS OF
going to Trenton, the captain of the vessel
went over to the British with all his posses-
sions, and again Mr. Ernest lost all his prop-
ertj but the money he had with him. He
afterwards caine to Morristown where he re-
sided with his friends until his death, three
years before peace was declared.
"Previous to Mr. Ernest's visit to Ger-
man^', his only son, John Ernest, a promising
and excellent young man, married and settled
in New York as a merchant. Both he and his
wife died in early life, leaving two sons, An-
thony and Matthew. The 3'ounger son, Mat-
thew Ernest, was employed during the resi-
dence of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ern-
est, at Morristo^vn, in iron works at that
place, and bj^ his industrj^ and his affectionate
conduct, contributed to their support and
comfort. After the peace, the widow of Mr.
Ernest returned to New York, and found a
home in the house of Jacob Sharpe, her son by
her first marriage.
"Soon after the marriage of Mr. Morton
with Maria Sophia Kemper, he relinquished
his place in the commissary department, en-
tered into business as a merchant and soon ac-
quired a large propert3^ He made two V03'-
ages to England, or 'Home,' as it was termed
by the colonists, to arrange correspondence
with merchants and with manufacturing es-
tablishments. He owned a large brick house
on Water Street, New York, in which he resid-
ed, and also a large wharf behind it, which ex-
tended below low water mark. His ships used
to unload into his spacious warehouse situat-
ed on the wharf, which also served as a flax
seed store, a branch of trade in which my
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 51
father was largely engaged. The demand for
Irish linen was so great that the flax was not
allowed to ripen in Ireland. It was there im-
mediately worked up at the manufactories,
and the seed for the next j^ear imported from
America, where it was then raised in immense
quantities on the borders of the Hudson.
This lucrative business was destro^-ed by the
Revolution. From the introduction of cotton
fabrics it never subsequentK'' revived; and
trade found new channels.
"At this period, the importations of mer-
chants comprehended a great variety of arti-
cles. Mr. Morton's large establishment was
filled with ever\^ description of English manu-
facture, from the finest laces to broadcloth
and blankets, and those also of other coun-
tries, superb mirrors, engravings, china, glass,
&c. — often sent directly from the manufactur-
ers, on the most advantageous terms; and his
commercial relations were, therefore, very
large and prosperous.
"In 1774, the familj^ of my parents con-
sisted of four children, two sons and mj sister
Margaret, born in 1772, and myself, then an
infant. From the commencement of the Rev-
olution, m3" father and all the connections of
our family took the side of liberty and the col-
onies, and became what w^ere called w^ama
Whigs.
"After the scenes attendant on the Stamp
Act and the Tea Tax, when war seemed inev-
itable, and when the 'Asia,' a British Man-of-
War, came into the East River, opposite Mr.
Morton's house, and threatened to fire upon
the city, he determined to leave New York.
He was promised protection if he would re-
52 MEMOIRS OF
main a lo^^al and quiet subject; but he did not
hesitate to abandon his property, rather than
submit to the unjust measures of a govern-
ment which had become tyrannical and op-
pressive to his countrj^ A vessel belonging
to him had arrived from England, laden with
valuable merchandise; all the goods in the
Tvarehouse were hastily packed and sent on
board the ship, which with its cargo was or-
dered round to Philadelphia, a place then con-
sidered out of reach of the British, under the
care of Mr. Gallaudet, the confidential clerk of
Mr. Morton, where they were sold at high
prices, and the money deposited in the Loan
Of&ce.
"The amount thus devoted to the use of
the American Army hj John Morton caused
him to be denominated by the British, 'The
Rebel Banker.' As he was not able, and his
sons v\rere not old enough to fight the battles
of his countrj^, he said he would paj^ to those
who could, the last farthing he possessed.
"Mr. and Mrs. Morton sent on their fur-
niture, and all their effects which could be re-
moved, to Elizabethtown in New Jersey, and
hastily followed with their family, abandon-
ing their excellent house and all their real es-
tate to the enemies, who took possession of
their pleasant dwelling, and appropriated
everything to their own use during the seven
succeeding j^ears.
"My father's propert^^ was also dimin-
ished by the depreciation of the paper currency
issued bj^ Congress, in which money he was
obliged to receive all debts due to him. The
partial interest allowed bj^ Congress for the
money deposited in the Loan Office, after the
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 53
French Loan was negotiated, was paid in
specie; and this, together with merchandise
taken out of New York and sold or exchanged
for articles requisite for the family, furnished
their means of support during the war.
"In 1775, Mr. and Mrs. Kemper also re-
moved to Elizabethtown. Two of their sons
entered the American Army. Jacob Kemper
rose to be a captain; Daniel served as a quar-
termaster. Their youngest daughter, Susan
Kemper, resided with my mother. My father
purchased a house, with a large garden adja-
cent, at Elizabethtown.
"As m3^ eldest brother had been there pre-
pared for college, my parents were previously
acquainted with several of the inhabitants.
They were intimate in the family of Elias
Boudinot, and attended the church of the Rev.
Mr. Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister, who
joined the ranks of the American Arm3^ with
his parishioners, and served as a volunteer.
His profession, his zeal and patriotism, ren-
dered him peculiarly obnoxious to the British.
"While Mr. and Mrs. Morton resided at
Elizabethtown, their cares were increased by
the birth of another son, whom they named
Washington; a proof of their confidence in
that great man at the time he was appointed
Commander-in-chief of the American Arm^-.
My brother was certainly the first child named
in honor of him.
"Alarmed by the approach of the British
Army, our family fled to Springfield, seven
miles distant, where they remained several
weeks in a house with five other families, who
were also fugitives. My father then sought
a safer situation, and purchased a house and
54 MEMOIRS OF
farm at Baskin ridge, fifteen or t^venty miles
from Elizabethtown; and conveyed thither all
the furniture and effects brought from New-
York. Mr. and Mrs. Kemper removed to Ger-
mantown, fourteen miles farther inland, in the
neighborhood of many of their countrymen.
"Baskinridge was a retired, pleasant situ-
ation, enclosed by some high land called the
'Long Hills.' It was a secure place from the
British, and at times in the centre of the Amer-
ican Army. The headquarters of Washington
w^ere at Morristown, only seven miles distant.
The hospital was located on Mr. Morton's es-
tate. It was a long low, log building, situat-
ed on a rising ground in a meadow; a brook
ran in front of it and supplied the inmates
with water for cooking and w^ashing. Dr.
Tilton, the director of the medical department,
with Dr. Stevenson, Dr. Coventy, and other
physicians, had rooms in my father's house;
and a small school house was converted into an
apothecary shop. This arrangement contin-
ued more than two years, and the society of
these gentlemen was very agreeable. The
house at Baskinridge w^as of two stories, situ-
ated on the high road, about halfway down
the hill. On one side therefore, the parlor
Endows were even with the ground, on the
other was a high porch with seats, the steps
of which led to the second story.
*' Being myself a child under nine years of
age at this time, my impressions, although
lively, are unconnected. I shall, therefore
•state the events I remember, in precise terms,
and describe the rest from the recollections of
jny mother.
''The American troops were constantly
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 55
passing our house, and the officers, who were
always received and treated with the greatest
hospitality and kindness. All was freely
given, — shelter, food, forage for their horses,
relief for the sick and wounded.
"General Washington and his suite were
often my father's guests. Among the stores
brought from New York were two pipes of
Madeira wine, which often contributed to the
refreshment of the beloved chief.
"The capture of General Lee, on the 13th
of December, 1776, occurred soon after the
settlement of our family at Baskinridge. He
had come from the American camp at Morris-
town to reconnoitre; and put up for the night
at Mr. White's tavern, not half a mile away,
l)eyond the hill near the church.
"My iather, who was always attentive to
every officer of the army, called on General
Lee, and invited him to breakfast the next
day. He accepted, but as he did not appear
at the appointed time, Mr. Morton became
impatient, and walked up the hill to meet his
expected guest. On his way he encountered
rp any of the country people running in great
consternation, exclaiming, 'The British have
come to take General Lee!' My father hur-
ried on, and saw Lee, without hat or cloak,
forcibly mounted, and carried off by a troop
of horse; and as he had but few attend-
ants, but little resistance was attempted.
One of his men who offered to defend him, was
cut down and wounded by the sabers of the
horsemen. He was brought to our house
where he was taken care of until he was car-
ried on a litter to a surgeon in Mendon; and
after three months recovered and came back
±o thank my mother for her kindness to him.
56 MEMOIES OF
"The British Arm 3^ never penetrated to
Baskinridge, but there were repeated alarms of
their approach, with fire and sword, and the
children were often sent to places of safety
among the hills several miles distant.
"In 1779 Susan Kemper was married to
Dr. Jackson, of Philadelphia, and w^ent tore-
side in that city. Her uncommon vivacity,
cheerful temper and great capability had ren-
dered her a most useful and delightful inmate
of our family. I had been named after her,
and was grieved at her departure. My sister,
Margaret, was afterward sent to stay with
her aunt and attend school in Philadelphia.
"The revolt of the Pennsylvania line oc-
curred in January, 1781. The soldiers, driven
to desperation for want of food, clothes, and
pay, determined to march to Philadelphia, and
force Congress to redress their grievances.
One of the officers, in attempting to suppress
the meeting, ^^as killed, and others wounded.
Obliged to fly from their camp at Morristown,
several took refuge at m3'^ father's residence in
Baskinridge. Captain Christie was the first
who rushed into the house, gave intelligence
of the revolt, and begged to be secreted from
the soldiers he feared were on his track. He
was accordingly concealed till the danger was
past. My parents were terrified, and it was
apprehended that the troops would go over to
the British, but this fear proved groundless;
and the termination of the rebellion is recorded
in history.
"In 1781, the several states agreed to
Articles of Confederation. The completion of
this important compact, which it w^as hoped
would preserve the tlnion until a more efficient
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 57
system could be adopted, was the last event in
favor of American independence which my
father was destined to witness. In the final
success of the cause of his country, for which
he had undergone many sufferings and sacri-
fices, he did not live to rejoice.
"In the spring of 1781, my brother, John
Morton, with a classmate from Princeton,
was passing a college vacation at Baskinridge,
with his parents, whose family then consisted
of their youngest son, Clark Morton, and
their domestics. All had retired for the night,
"when thc}^ w^ere aroused by a number of
armed men forciblj^ breaking open the front
door of the house. Their chief, whose face was
blackened, and disguised by a handkerchief
tied around the head and brought down to
the eyes, first demanded all the keys and gold
watches. A bayonet was presented at every
window or door, when escape was attempted,
and thus surrounded, submission was un-
avoidable. My father was much indisposed,
and into his apartment all the family, with
the exception of John Morton, v^^ere thrust,
and a sentinel placed at the door. Thej^ soon
perceived that a stranger was among them,
and at first supposed him to be one of the rob-
bers; but his terror and exclamations soon
proved him to be a prisoner like themselves.
He said he was a militia man who had been
out on dutj^ As he was returning home he
met the party then in the house, who had cap-
tured him, and put him under guard to pre-
vent him from giving an alarm. From the
conduct of the intruders, there was cause to
suppose that among them were persons well
acquainted with the arrangements of Mr.
58 MEMOIRS OF
Morton. They first went to a closet where
his mone}'- and valuable papers were deposited
in an iron chest, as was the custom at that
period. It contained thirty pounds in gold
and silver, which he had just received as part
payment for his house in Elizabeth town. A
report had also spread that he had sold his
estate in New York and received a large sum
for it. Great disappointment was expressed
by the robbers at not finding more money; and
they swore they would kill John Morton, if he
did not show them where his father had hid
his treasures. They forced him to open all the
drawers and closets; and then took him into
the cellar, where they thought money might
be concealed, and again threatened him with
death. As he could tell them nothing more,
they again ransacked the house. Into large
sacks which they had brought with them they
put the wearing apparel of the family, includ-
ing twelve rufiled shirts just completed, made
from linen bought at a high price in Philadel-
phia. All the plate, a tea and coffee service, a
large tankard, and every article of silver used
in a gentleman's establishment, were also
taken. A silver tankard, which had been used
the night previous and left at the kitchen fire,
blackened with smoke and ashes, the thieves
mistook for pewter, and it alone escaped.
Out of the silver it contained, a bowl and two
goblets, marked with the crest of the Morton
arms (a lion rampant), were afterwards found,
and are now in my possession.
"After remaining two hours the robbers
departed declaring they would return and set
fire to the house if the family did not remain
quiet. Exhausted by terror and fatigue it
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 69
was daybreak before they alarmed the neigh-
borhood. The traveler who had been cap-
tured, said he had seen among the trees near
the church a number of horses fastened, on
which the robbers undoubtedh^ escaped.
'*Mr. Morton, though suffering from ill-
ness, insisted on pursuing the robbers, with
some of the neighbors. After following sever-
al routes unsuccessfully, he at length got
upon their track and pursued them to the
riverside near Newark, where it is supposed
they took boat and went over to New York.
"After my father's return from this jour-
ney, fatigue and disappointment brought on
an attack of apoplexy, which in one week ter-
minated his life, and his famil3^ were plunged
in the deepest grief. M}^ eldest brother, then a
youth of nineteen, a student at law with
Judge Patterson at Raritan, had returned to
Baskinridge on hearing of the robbery. The
first intelligence of it and the death of my
father was brought to Mrs. Kemper by the
messenger sent for Washington and myself,
and slie immediately accompanied us home.
Dr. Kennedy performed the ceremony at the
funeral, and the procession proceeded to the
burial ground on the hill, near the church at
Baskinridge.
"In September my brother, John Morton,
on taking his degree at Princeton, delivered a
valedictory oration, and his youth and deep
mourning interested and affected his audience.
From this time my eldest brother resided at
home; and by his kindness and attention,
gained my affection and led me to regard him
as a father.
"In 1783, peace was concluded, and our
60 MEMOIRS OF
family removed to Elizabethtown. Friendly
intercourse with families of different politics
was now renewed. At this time mj" mother
went to New York with a pass from the Com-
mander-in-chief, Sir Guy Carleton, obtained b\^
her friend, Mrs. Smith, whose husband was
Chief Justice under the Crown. We passed a
fortnight Avith my mother's aunt, Mrs. Hoff-
man (Catherine Ernest). With her husband
and her j^oungest children she was accidental!}^
detained in New York, in 1775, until the time
of departiu'e was gone b}^; and was not al-
lowed by the British authorities to follow her
eldest son and daughter, who had gone to
Elizabethtown to prepare for the recei3tion of
the family. Mr. Hoffman was accused of be-
ing favorable to the American cause and was
imprisoned by the Hessian officers. An illness
caused b}^ his sufferings ended in his death,
and he never saw his family united again. His
widow remained in New^ York. Her daughter
was married in Morristown; her eldest son
had entered the American Ami}"; and at the
time of our visit she resided alone with her
youngest son, Christian Hoffman. Her house
stood on Broadway, nearlj^ opposite the City
Tavern, which was a two-stor\^ house plas-
tered over and whitewashed, but dingy and
dilapidated. The street was only half built
up, the houses of every shape and size. Trin-
ity- Church, and a church where Grace Church
now stands, were a heap of ruins. The British
never injured Episcopal churches, but those
had been accidentally burnt during the war.
There was but one good house above St.
Paul's. All beyond was a square open space
called 'The Fields,' built round with low,
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 61
wooden, ordinary houses, — the resort of the
negroes and soldiers. The Jail, Workhouse,
and the Almshouse were in this vicinity.
These are now superceded b3' the City Hall, of
white marble, and 'The Fields' are counted
into the Park, and are ornamented with trees.
''Sir Guy Carleton and his aids passed our
house eYer\^ day. Manj^ of his officers were
quartered opposite, at the City Tavern; and
their evolutions, and those of the British
troops, were a source of great amusement to
me. My cousin. Christian Hoffman, often
took me to see the parade on the Battery, —
then literally a battery, — the sides toward the
Bay broken into ramparts with cannon and
their carriages. The view was thus excluded,
except from the ramparts. The interior was
a parade ground with barracks for the sol-
diers.
"The city looked ruinous. My mother
took me to our house in Water Street, still in-
habited bj^ British officers; and I saw Mr.
Pitt's statue, at the corner of Wall and Wil-
liam streets. It had lost an arm, and was
taken down by the citizens on their return. I
accompanied my mother to visit Mrs. Smith,
the wife of the Chief Justice, who received us
kindly- and brought in her daughter, Harriet
Smith, a few years younger than myself.
'This child,' said Mrs. Smith, 'has been born
since the Rebellion.' — 'Since the Revolution,'
replied my mother. The lady smiled, and said:
'Well, well, Mrs. Morton, this is only a truce
and not a peace; and we shall all be back
again in full possession in two years.' This
prophecy happily did not prove true.
"A few months afterward, on the evacu-
62 MEMOIRS OF
ation of New York b}^ the British, Mrs. Smith
accompanied her husband to Quebec; and he
became Chief Justice of Lower Canada. His
daughter, Harriet Smith, married his successor
in office, Chief Justice Sewell, an exile from
Massachusetts, and a grandson of Edmund
Quincy; and in 1797, I met her again in Bos-
ton, at the house of his aunt, Mrs. Hancock.
"After my return to EHzabethtown, I vis-
ited my friend Miss Mason, whose father, Rev.
Dr. Mason, had taken our house in Baskin-
ridge, until he could return to New York.
With her I visited the scenes of m}' childhood,
and 'the Buildings;' where I saw the Misses
Livingston and other members of Lord Ster-
ling's family.
"In December, 1783, we removed to New
York. The weather was so line that we
dined and sat upon deck. I shall never forget
the delight and transj^ort, even to tears, with
which my mother and her friends returned to
their recovered abodes, whence they had been
driven seven years before. Yet their joy was
chastened by man3^ sorrowful recollections of
those who had gone out with them, but w^ho
did not return.
^*As Mr. Seaton,wdio resided in our house,
could not leave it immediately, we hired one in
William Street for a year. My eldest brother
opened an office as a lawyer; John Morton
w^ent into a merchant's counting house; and
Washington, Clark and niA'self were sent to
school. As all the Presb^-terian churches had
been converted b^' the British into barracks,
riding schools or stables, the congregation
of Dr. Rodgers, to which my mother be-
longed, assembled in the French church in
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 63
Cedar Street until their church in Wall
Street was finished: when the opening of
their old place of worship w^as a day of
thanksgiving, almost as great as that of
their first return to New York.
"Mr. Wetzell, the husband of Christina
Ernest, took no part in politics, and being in
good business, acquired property, during the
war. Their eldest daughter had married Se-
bastian Beauman, a Prussian officer in the
British service under General Gage. On his
marriage he left the army and entered busi-
ness as a wine merchant. He afterwards es-
poused the American cause, and received a
Colonel's commission. His military knowl-
edge and skill as an engineer made him very
important and he was employed on the w^orks
at West I^oint, and at the Siege of Yorktown.
In 1784, when he had returned to my father's
house in Wall Street, his daughter, Maria
Beauman, came to visit us. She w^as a lovely
young woman, engaged to Major Shaw, who
had served seven years in the American Army
as aid to General Knox. During his visit he
embarked from New York to open commercial
relations between the United States and
China. They were to be married on his re-
turn; I remember their parting at mj' mother's
house. Maria remained with us but her
health declined, and her life soon terminated.
"Colonel Beauman had returned to the
cit}^; and her funeral from his residence,
through the streets of New York was the only
one I ever saw conducted in the same style.
The pall was supported by six young ladies,
dressed in white; with white hoods, scarfs and
gloves, — emblematic of the character of the
64 MEMOIRS OF
young friend the\^ were attending for the last
time.
"The grief of Major Shaw, on his return,
I shall not attempt to describe. By devoted
attentions to Mrs. Beauman and her famil\^, he
gave convincing proofs of his attachment.
"On the adoption of the Federal Constitu-
tion, Colonel Beauman received from General
Washington, as a reward for his faithful ser-
vices during the war, the office of Postmaster
of New York, which he held till his death. His
other daughters were estimable women; but
none of them ecpialed the lamented Alaria.
"Mrs. Wct/.cll, (Christina Krnest) sur-
vived her husband and all her children, but was
left with considerable property. She died at
the house of her granddaughter, Mrs. William
H. Doll, who resided on the banks of the Hud-
son. Her sister Catherine (Mrs. Hoffman)
sustained with Christian resignation a series
of trials and the loss of sight. She was sup-
ported by an annuity, and cheered by the kind
attention of my mother and other friends.
"In 1785, Mr. and Mrs. Kemper returned
to New York to a convenient house near my
mother; who with their other children, con-
tributed ever^^thing requisite to their comfort.
A long life of exertion was now drawing to a
close, without adequate reward for their in-
dustry and perseverance; but they never re-
gretted their emigration to America, where
they left their children in the possession of civil
and religious lilierty.
"M^^ grandmother was an excellent
woman, and deserves a tribute from one she
always distinguished by partial kindness. She
often gratified me by describing the cities, riv-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 65
ers, mountains and people of the Old World,
beyond the great sea over whieh she had come
through so many changes and with so many
sacriiices. Often have I shed tears of sympa-
thy with her, at the sad story of her separa-
tion from all the dear friends, never to see
them again in this world. She had a fine
voice, and sang the German hymns with a
pathos which earl 3' charmed my ear with 'The
music of sweet sounds.' But her strains were
always mournful. The songs of Zion, in her
native language, carried back her thoughts
from foreign lands to scenes beyond the world
of waters, to which her heart always turned
with fond affection. Maria Regina Ernest
Kemper, died in New York Cit^^ in her
sevent3'-eighth 3'ear, November 6, 1789. Dur-
ing the five years Mr. Kemper survived his
wife, his privations were alleviated hy the at-
tentions of his children and grandchildren.
"My mother removed him to her house,
and was devoted to his comfort and amuse-
ment. She read his German books* and the
newspapers to him daily. He had the nation-
al love of music; and m3' piano was placed in
an apartment adjacent to his own, that he
might hear me pla}' and sing as often as he
wished. To the last days of his life he was
patient, sensible, and resigned, and, after a
short illness, departed this life, in 1794, at the
age of eight^'-seven. Thus closed the lives of
all the first emigrants of our family who
came from Germ an 3' to America.
"After the Federal Constitution was
adopted, I remember seeing General Washing-
-The (rerman Bible was ^ven to BUbop Kemper, of WUconain, ftod la
DOW in the pouegaion of big deacea-lanu.
66 MEMOIRS OF
ton land, on the 23d of April, 1789, and make
his entrance into New York, when he came to
take the office of President of the United
States. I was at a window in a store on the
wharf where he was received. Carpets were
spread to the carriage prepared for him; but
he preferred walking through the crowded
streets, and was attended by Governor Clin-
ton and many officers and gentlemen. He fre-
quently^ bowed to the multitude and took off
his hat to the ladies at the windows, who
waved their handkerchiefs, threw flowers be-
fore him, and shed tears of joy and congratu-
lation. The whole city was one scene of tri-
umphal rejoicing. His name, in every form of
decoration, appeared on the fronts of the
houses; and the streets through Avhich he
passed to the Governor's mansion, were orna-
mented with flags, silk banners of various
colors, wreaths of flowers and bunches of
evergreen. Never did an^- one enjoy such a
triumph as Washington; who indeed 'read his
history in a nation's eyes.'
"On the 30th of April, ^vhen Washington
took the oath of office as President of the
United States, the ceremonj^ took place in the
balcon3^ of the old Federal Hall, as it was
afterward named, which stood in the centre
of four streets. I was on the roof of the first
house in Broad Street, which belonged to Cap-
tain Prince, the father of one of m^' school
companions; and so near to Washington I
could almost hear him speak. The windows
and roofs of the hoiises were crowded; and in
the streets the throng was so dense that it
seemed one might literally walk on the heads
of the people. The balcony' of the hall was in
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 67
full view of this assembled multitude. In the
centre of it was placed a table, with a rich
covering of red velvet, and upon this, on a
crimson velvet cushion la}^ a large and elegant
Bible. This was all the paraphernalia for the
august scene. All ej-es were fixed upon the
balcony; when, at the appointed hour Wash-
ington entered, accompanied hy the Chancel-
lor of the State of New York, who was to ad-
minister the oath; b^^ John Adams, the
Vice President; Governor Clinton, General
Schuyler, Colonel Beauman, and. many other
distinguished men.
"B}' the great bod\' of the people, he had
probably never been seen, except as a military''
hero. The first in war was now to be the first
in peace. His entrance on the balcqny was
announced b}' universal shouts of jo}- and wel-
come. His appearance was most solemn and
dignified. Advancing to the front of the bal-
cony, he laid his hand upon his heart, bowed
several times, and then retired to an arm-
chair near the table. The populace appeared
to understand that the scene had overcome
him, and were at once hushed in profound si-
lence. After a few moments, Washington
arose and came forward. Chancellor Living-
ston read the oath according to the form pre-
scribed b}^ the Constitution, and Washington
repeated it, resting his hand upon the Bible.
Mr. Otis, the SecTctarj^ of the Senate, then
took the Bible to raise it to the lips of Wash-
ington, who stooped and kissed the book. At
this moment a signal was given by raising a
flag upon the cupola of the Hall, for a general
discharge of Artillerj^ on the Battery. All the
bells in the city rang out a peal of joy, and the
68 MEMOIRS OF
assembled multitudes sent forth a universal
shout.
"The President again bowed to the peo-
ple, and then retired from a scene such as the
proudest monarch never enjoyed. Many en-
tertainments were given, both public and pri-
vate, and the city was illuminated in the even-
"From this time President Washington
resided in New^ York as long as Congress con-
tinued to hold its sessions in that city. He
lived in a large house in Cherry Street, and al-
ways received the highest proofs of affection
from the citizens. On one occasion, when he
w^as ill, I remember seeing straw laid down in
the adjacent streets, and chains drawn across
those nearest his house to prevent his being
disturbed by carts and carriages. I have often
seen him ricle through the streets of New York
on horseback, followed by a single attendant.
The people always regarded him with atten-
tion and great respect. What must have been
his feelings of delight and gratification on
such surveys of the cit3^ and the country
which he had so largely contributed to pre-
serve! Reviving commerce, busy streets, free-
dom and safet^^, now marked the places whore
ruin and distress had been inflicted by hostile
armies.
"All the ladies in the city visited Mrs.
Washington. My mother did not take me
with her on this occasion, as I was thought
too young. Within a few weeks Mrs. Wash-
ington returned these visits; I remember her
coming to our house in Broadwaj^ attended
by Colonel Humphrey, one of General Wash-
ington's aids, who resided in his family.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 69
"While Congress remained in New York,
its sessions were held in the Federal Hall. I
was taken down there and heard a debate on
the propriety of their removal to Philadelphia.
Though they saw msinj fair reasons for re-
maining in New York, the public good required
the change.
"In the autumn of 1794, I went to Phila-
delphia, and passed the ensuing winter with
my aunt, Mrs. Jackson. Mr. Wolcott succeed-
ed Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, in
Februar^^ 1795, and at his house I saw^ all the
eminent men then in public life — Hamilton,
Ellsworth, Pickering, General Knox, and
others too numerous to mention.
"One evening I accompanied Mrs. Wolcott
to Mrs. Washington's drawing-room where I
was introduced to General W^avshington, and
kindly noticed by him. The ladies were seat-
ed in a circle; Mrs. Adams, as ladj' of the Vice
President, next to Mrs. Washington, and the
rest according to rank; while the President
and the gentlemen walked about the room
and conversed with each other, or with the
ladies.
"Airs. Peters, of Georgetown, a grand-
daughter of Mrs. Washington, had just ar-
rived in Philadelphia as a bride; and her sister,
Miss Custis, afterwards Mrs. Lewis, w^as also
present.
"In a former visit to Philadelphia, in
1789, I saw Dr. Franklin in the streets in a
Sedan chair. At Mrs Wolcott's I became ac-
quainted with Mr. and Mrs. George Cabot, of
Boston, and when Congress rose, and thej^
passed through New York on their return,
they were visited bj^ m^^ brother and sister,
70 ISIKMOIKS OF
and every one was nincli pleased with them.
They spoke to me of their nieee, Annie Cabot
Lowell; showed me her letters; and expressed
a wish that I wonkl eome to Boston and be-
come aeqnainted with her. In July, 1705, I
went to Princeton to stay with President
Smith's daiighter nntil the autumn; but in Au-
gust I was recalled home to accompany' my
brother, John Morton, to Boston. I obeyed
the summons with great regret, being agreea-
bly established at Princeton with plans lor the
summer, which I rclintiuished with reluctance
to go to Boston. The chief pleasure I had an-
ticipated from this excursion was that of vis-
iting Air. and Mrs. George Cabot, who, I had
been informed, resided in the environs of that
town; and passing through Roxbury I selected
the mansion of Judge Lowell as]iossibly theirs.
As we drove over the Neck, and through the
main street of Boston, I little imagined I was
entering the place of my future residence. The
ranges of wooden houses, all situated with
one end toward the street, appeared to me
very singular. At that time Boston, com-
pared with New York, was a small town.
There were no brick sidewalks except in a iKirt
of the main street, near the Old South, tlieu
called Cowhill. The streets were paved with
pebbles; and, except when driven on one side
by carts and carriages, every one walked in
the middle of the street where the pavement
was the smoothest. We drove to Mr. Archi-
bald's boarding ]ilace in Bowdoin Square,
where we were well accpiaintcd. We sent our
letters, and Mr. Storcr and his sister, and
many others callcil on us. Mr. and Mrs.
Craigie soon called and nivited me to spend
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 71
the reinainder of my visit with them at Cam-
bridge; and 1 aeeepted the invitation for the
next week. On Sunday morning 1 went with
Miss Storer to Brattle Street Chnreh, and
was there reminded of deseriptions of a former
day in England. The broad aisle was lined by
gentlemen in the costume of the last century,
— in wigs, with cocked hats and scarlet
cloaks. Many peculiarities in dress, charac-
ter, and manners dif[tn-ing from those of Phila-
delphia or New York were striking to mc. In
the afternoon Mr. and ]\Iiss Storer proposed
to take me to hear Mr. Kirkland, a popular
young clergyman. Thc\' consulted where we
should sit, and decided to go to Mr. Ouincy's
pew. This was the first time I heard the
name. We proceeded to the New South
Church, and after the service, Mr. Quincy was
introduced to me, and in the evening, came to
Mr. Storer's. The next morning he called on
me and niA^ brother, and I heard the gentlemen
at our lodgings speak in high terms of his
character, talents, and family.
"The day following, apparcntl^v to the
disappointment of m\' friends in Boston, I ac-
companied Mrs. Craigie to Cam1)ridge, and
was cordially welcomed to her delightful resi-
dence. Mr. Craigie was a native of Boston.
During the war he was attached to the medi-
cal staff of the American Army, and thus
formed a friendship with Dr. Jackson, of Phila-
delphia, who introduced him to our family, in
which he became as intimate as a brother.
After the peace, he opened a large store, as a
druggist, in New York; and b3^ successful spec-
ulations in United States certificates, ac-
cumulated a large fortune. He then returned
72 MEMOIRS OF
to Boston, and purchased the house and estate
of John Vassal, the headquarters of Washing-
ton in Cambridge.
"He had recently married a beautiful
woman. His establishment was complete
and elegant, and he lived in a stjde of splendor
and hospitality. Kvery day there was a par-
ty to dine and pass the evening. He expressed
gratitude for the attentions he had received
from my famih^, and was happy to return
them.
"Mrs. Craigie evinced great interest in me,
and gave me her opinion of her guests. Of Mr.
Quincy she spoke in the highest terms, and
said his name she had always been taught to
honor and respect.
"When Mr. Craigie heard me saj^ that I
wished to visit Mrs. Cabot, he ordered his car-
riage to convey me to their residence in Brook-
line; and their pleasure at this unexpected
meeting was equal to my own. The next day
they came to Mr. Craigie's and invited us to
drive. My brother accompanied me to Brook-
line on the daj" appointed and there I was in-
troduced to Miss Lowell and others of the
Higginson and Lowell families. Every affec-
tionate attention was lavished upon me by
Mr. and Mrs. Cabot; and, had my engage-
ments permitted, I would gladly have passed
some days with them.
"Miss Lowell soon called at Mrs. Craigie's
and engaged me to visit her; and I met her
and other ladies at Fresh Pond, at a party
given b^^ Mr. William Sullivan and Mr.
Quincy.
"The time I spent with mj^ friends at
Cambridge was as delightful as novelty and
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAU MAN. 73
kind attention could render it. I took leave
of them with sincere regret; and Mrs. Craigie
conveyed me in her carriage to Boston,
w^here we parted with mutual affection. I
passed the last week in Boston with Marj^
Storer, at the house of her brother, Mr. George
Storer; and was taken to see the new State
House. I went up on Beacon Hill, read the in-
scription on the monument, and walked in
'the Mall,' which at that time I could not
think equal to the Batter^'. In all these ex-
cursions Mr. Quincy Avas my constant attend-
ant.
"In 1792, eight years after the death of
my cousin, Maria Beauman, Major Shaw^
married Miss Philips, of Boston. As his
friends, our family visited his wife in New
York, when he sailed in 1793, on a last voyage
to China; and we paid her every attention in
our power until she returned home. An ele-
gant house near Bowdoin Square had been
built for her residence; but Major Shaw died
on the homeward vo^^age, and his widow and
friends suffered the loss of one of the most ex-
cellent of men.
"In 1795, Mrs. Shaw was passing the
summer in Dedham, at the residence of Mr.
and Airs. Dowse, who were then in England.
Her nephew, Mr. Quincy, having discovered
the intimate, friendship which had existed be-
tween my famil}' and Major Shaw, informed
her I was in Boston, and brought Miss
Storer and mj^self a pressing invitation to vis-
it her at Dedhain, where she gave us an affec-
tionate welcome. Mr, Ouinc\', who accom-
panied us in a post-chaise, insisted on return-
ing over Milton Hill to show me the prospect.
74 MEMOIRS OF
The view of his house and estate at Quincy
from thence was probabh^ his real object, as I
remember he said that there he placed all his
plans of happiness. During these excursions I
became much acquainted with Mr. Quincy.
All I had heard of his character tended to raise
him in mj^ estimation; and I left Boston with
very different views and sentiments from those
with which I had entered it.
"We returned to New York by land, then a
journey of eight or ten days. At New Haven
a letter directed me to repair to Long Island,
as an alarm from the yellow fever had dis-
persed our feimilj. Accordingly, we crossed
the ferry above New York to Brooklyn, where
I was welcomed bj'^ Mr. and Mrs. Morton,
who had taken a house directly opposite the
city; and here I had time for recollections and
thought after the fatigue of the journey, and
the scenes of interest through v^^hich I had
lately passed. I could hardly determine how
to read the page of futurity, which seemed to
open before me.
"Our situation on the heights of Brook-
lyn, commanding a view of the entire eastern
side of New York, was delightful. I often
spent whole afternoons with my little nephews
on the banks of the Bast River, among the
trees, looking over to New York, w^hich was as
still as a citj^ of the dead. Not a sound, not a
motion could be observed; no smoke from a
single chimney, nor even a boat moving near
one of the wharves, where all used to be noise,
bustle and animation.
"After manj^ weeks of suspense and anxi.
ety, the city was declared safe, and the inhab.
itants returned. My mother was soon re-es_
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 75
tablished in our house in Water Street. I
went home, and my brother's family returned
to Broadway.
"In December, Mr, SulHvan and Mr. Ouin-
cy arrived, on their way to Philadelphia.
They received every attention from mj broth-
ers, and were much admired in societ3\ Mr.
Quincy brought me letters from Miss Lowell
and Miss Storer. They went on to Philadel-
phia, Mr. Quincy intending to go on to South
Carolina; but he soon reappeared in New
York, being called home hj the failure of a
man to whom part of his property had been
intrusted; and with the probability- that our
meeting would be deferred for a long time, I
consented to correspond with him.
*'In the summer of 1796, 1 went to Prince-
ton, at Commencement, as mj brother, Clark
Morton, was to take his degree. Mr. Quincy
came to Princeton at Commencement, and we
met frequentlj^ in society- there and in Philadel-
phia. I visited Mrs. Jackson, and accompan-
ied her to Easton; where we passed a fortnight
in the familj' of Mr. Sitgreaves, who had mar-
ried my cousin, Mary Kemper; a man of fine
talents, polished manners, and commanding
personal apiDcarance. He resided many years
at Easton, in a beautiful situation at the con-
fluence of the Delaware, the Lehigh, and the
Bushkill, commanding a view of the three
chasms in the Alleghany- Ridge, called the Del-
aware Gap, the Lehigh Gap, and the Wind
Gap."
The following letters were written at this
period:
Miss E. S. Morton to Mrs. Jackson, Phil-
adelphia.
76 MEMOIRS OF
"New York, Dec. 27, 1795.
'*Mr. Quincy and Mr. Sullivan, of Boston,
who offer to convey this letter to 3^011 ni\^ dear
aunt, are both generally admired in society
here. Mr. Sullivan brought me a letter from
our friend, Susan Binne\'; who expresses a
grateful remembrance of your kind attention
to her.
"My affection for 3'ou (one of the first at-
tachments of my childhood) remains so in-
timately woven with my happiness, that it
will be. I trust, one of the last I shall lose. I
delight to indulge in recollections of the time I
passed with you last winter, — our morning
conversations in the nurserv, our evening ex-
cursions to the theatre, and our discussion of
what we saw and heard. Though usualh' the
same way of thinking we had great pleasure
in comparing our opinions."
"New York, Jan. 21, 1796.
"Your letter by Mr. Johnson, my dear
aunt, is flattering to mj^ pride, and gratefu' to
mj" better feelings. The chief w4sh of my heart
has been to gain the affections of the good.
"It is too proud to be gratified by compli-
ments and can be satisfied onlj^ with esteem
and love * * * You have pleased me by ap-
proving my friends, — a kind of flatter3^ to
which we are all open. I am ever disposed to
like those who praise what I admire.
"That you have discovered and distin-
guished the merits of Mr. Ouinc3^ is not sur-
prising: for I believe penetration and justice to
be ec^ualh^ leading features of your character.
"Tell Mr. Sullivan that we are to have a
party at my brother's house to-morrow even-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 77
ing, and that we have been wishing he could
be one of the company. I shall have my dis-
patches from Boston in readiness; for I appre..
hend New York will not long detain him after
dazzling and being dazzled by the meridian of
Philadelphia."
"New York, April 18th, 1796.
''I cannot withhold from you, my dear
aunt, so great a pleasure as that of forming
an acquaintance with the gentleman who will
give 3^ou this letter. He is a son of Mr. Cop-
ley, the celebrated painter in London, who is
an American. If he should hand you this letter
himself, and if you have an opportunity of
conversing with him, a highly cultivated
mind, and polished manners, will gain your
approbation.
"Will you do me the favor to introduce
Mr. Copley* to Mrs. Wolcott, and to ask her
to like him for my sake. * * *
"Your Affectionate
"E. S. Morton."
President Smith to Miss E. S. Morton.
"Princeton, Feb. 27, 1796.
"You think, perhaps, my dear Susan, that
I have forgotten my promise of another letter;
but I have been assiduously attending our
Legislature to gain from them a small pit-
tance, which will not answer half the purpose
for which thcA' granted it. It is appropriated,
in the law, to repair the college buildings, re-
plenish the library, and purchase a philosoph-
ical apparatus. But that apparatus alone
♦Afterwards Lord Lyndhurst, and Lord High ChaiiceUor of Eng-
land.
78 MEMOIRS OF
A?^ould require a thousand dollars more than
tlie^^ have been pleased to assign. To make
up this sum I wish to write to all those who
have graduated here since I came, to request
them to beg a few dollars each in his neigh-
borhood, and send them to me for this pur-
pose. If I live I am resolved, if possible, to
have in future one of the best apparatuses on
the continent.
"But wliA' all this detail to 3'ou? Because
I know you are so good, that you feel a SA-m-
pathj' with me in every object which inter-
ests me. * * * *
"Alas! the insult that a forward spark
has committed on my paper! If I were like
Crowlej' or some modern wits, I would sa\' it
is an emblem of the ardor with which spark-
ish beaux fly to the paper which bears 3'our
name. I might saj', if I were a younger man,
many conceits as forced as these; and I have
heard some young and flippant gentlemen
plajang the gallant, very charmingly as they
believed, with wit Cj[uite as strained. Your
good sense, I am convinced, alwa^^s knows
ho\\r to estimate the exuberance of a fe^ncy
much more pleased with itself than the lad3' to
which it pretends to be paying homage.
"I will not say that the ardor of my sen-
timents burn m^^ paper, but assure you and
Frances of the afi'ection of a father.
"Samuel S. Smith."
Miss Lowell to Miss E. S. Morton.
"Boston, Jan. 6, 1797.
^^My Dear Friend: — The promise your last
letter contained, of writing another b^^ Mr.
Copley was not the least pleasing of its con-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 79
tents; but the society of New York and Phila-
delphia have charms so seductive, that I fear
it v^ill be long before he returns to us. The
quickness of feeling^ and susceptibility of pleas-
ure, which are striking traits in that gentle-
man's character, are the occasion of his form-
ing frequent and warm prepossessions; and
wherever he goes, will create him friends he
w411 find it hard for him to leave. Regret,
however, in such minds, is seldom a lasting sen-
timent; since new objects of interest easily sup-
ply the place of those separated hj absence.
"Of Mr. Quincy I should say much, for he
has won me by entreaty, and bribed me by
flattery and attention; and all this that I may
say handsome things of him to you. But Mr.
Quincy is so much better qualified to recom-
mend himself, that I enter upon my ofiiice with
real diffidence. Indeed, of all his excellencies I
shall only at this time notice one: it is a just
and delicate taste in the selection of his friends.
I am aware of the apparent vanitj'- of the last
remark; but it will be softened when I add,
that Mr. Quincy never distinguished me as a
favorite until he knew me as your friend.
Since I have returned I have met him only twice
in public, and then we had but one subject. I
cannot do justice to the manner of treating
that. By the ladies he is charged with cold-
ness and indifference; but certainh^ I sometimes
touch a string which vibrates to sensations
very opposite to those of apathy. Last even-
ing he was unusually animated; and indeed a
very brilliant assembly where every face Avore
a smile of satisfaction was sufflicient to inspire
everyone. * * *
"Your friend,
"A. C. Lowell."
80 MEIMOIRS OF
''In May 17l>7, Mr. OuIik-v canio :iL:alii to
New York. His mother, who had a hir^x* and
clo^atU lioiiso ill Pearl Street. Host on, ])ro-
posed that our enga^enieiif^.'^houhl ho luUdkHl,
and that we shoidd rev'^ide with hor, and this
offer was t^rateUdly aeeeptecL
"The regret ot niv taniily at the prospeet
of niY removal at a (hstanee was tempereil by
the eontiilenee with wliieh they entrusted my
happiness to sueh a IriencL
"When otn- arrani^ements were einn])leted,
President Smitli eame h-oni Trineeton to per-
form the ».\'rouu>n\ ol" our marria«;e, wliieh
took ]>laee at my nuUlier's lunise in Water
Street, New York, on the (»tii ot' June. 1707.
The i>idv persons piesent on tliai oeeasion, be-
sides my own family, were my uneK> naniel
Kemper, Mr. and Mis. Powse, and the Rev.
Dr. Rogers, of New York.
"Mr. and Mrs. Morton, Mr. and Mrs.
Dowse, aiul Washingtmi Mcn'ton, aeeompan-
ied us to llaerlem. where we dined; anil then 1
parteil with my ehlest brt)ther, w hon« 1 had
long regarded as my ehief proteetor, and en-
tered on the untried seenes of life with another
guardian. livery thing was new to me in
prospeet. 1 had never seen Air. Ouiney's
mother nor any of his rehitives except ^Ir. and
Mrs. Storer, Mrs. Shaw, and Wv. and Mrs.
Dowse; but seenre in the worth and tlisinter-
ested attaehnieni oi him to whom 1 was iu>w
united, 1 felt no fears, no apprehension.
"\Ye travelleil pleasantly in a private car-
riage and t\nn-; ami reached Marlborough,
Massachusetts, in the evening ot the eighth
day ot our lourncv.
" riic next uuMiuu'' Mr. Ouincv went to
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 81
inform Mrs. Ann Quincy, the widow of his
grandfather,* of our arrival. Our reception
from her and from her son-in-law and daughter,
the Rev. Mr. Packard and his wife, with whom
she resided, was all that affection could dictate.
"At noon we saw a carriage approach
which brought Mr. Quincy's mother, accom-
panied by his cousins, Miriam Philips and
Hannah Storer, whom she had selected as ap-
propriate attendants on her new daughter.
"Mrs. Quincy was then fifty-three years
of age, still retaining traces of great personal
beauty, with fine expression of countenance,
and cordial and graceful manners.
"Pier dress tmited richness with elegance
and good taste. I was much agitated at the
thought of this meeting; but from the moment
I saw her and received her first welcome and
embrace, I felt at ease, and sure that we
should promote each other's happiness. Mr.
Quincy's satisfaction was complete, when he
beheld me with his mothei and surrounded by
approving friends.
"The next day we had a very gay jour-
ney to Boston in the carriage with Mrs. Quin-
cy and her companions, sending our luggage
by the one which had brought us from New
York.
"We drove over Cambridge Bridge, and
through Boston to the residence of Mrs. Quincy,
in Pearl Street, where she again welcomed us to
her home. In the afternoon. Miss Lowell
came, delighted to receive me as an inhabitant
of Boston, and with Miss Storer and Miss
Philips, remained several days. These ladies
"Josiah Quincy, of Braintree, MasBacbasetts.
82 MEMOIRS OF
acted as bridesmaids, though we did not re-
ceive companj^ in formal style.
''The nearest relatives of Mr. Quincy had
been invited for the evening. They were Mr.
and Mrs. Storer, Mr. and Mrs. Philips, with
their families, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ma-
son and their parents, Mr. and Mrs. William
Powell and Miss Anna Powell, Mr. and Mrs.
Daniel D. Rogers, Mrs. J. Powell and Miss
Broomfield, Mr. John Philips, and man^^ oth-
ers whose names I cannot enumerate. * * *
"At the Commencement of 1797, the first
I ever attended at Harvard College, we dined
v^ath Mr. and Mrs. Craigie at Cambridge,
with more than a hundred guests. *****
''Mary Storer, who had married Mr.
Johnson, of New York, the year previous,
often alluded to our unexpected change of
residence. Accompanied by my sister, she
came to Boston in September. Mrs. Quincy
spent several weeks with Mrs. Dowse, at Ded-
ham, at this time, to leave us in full oossession
of her establishment. Miss Binney and Miss
Foster, the niece of Mr. Craigie, passed some
days with us; and our engagements were con-
stant during my sister's visit. After her re-
turn to New York, Mrs. Quincy came home
and we were constant companions during the
winter. * * *
"The health of Mrs. Quincy gradually de-
clined; she at length consented to consult a
physician, and everj-^ effort was made for her
restoration. In the spring of 1798, we were
made happy by the birth of an infant; and our
mother was as much interested in the event as
ourselves. Three days afterward, my phj^si-
cian informed me imprudently that the mala-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 83
dy from which she suffered would prove fatal.
I consequently became dangerously ill; and
when my child was ten days old she suddenly
expired.
**In consequence of my illness, I was kept
in ignorance of this event. The friends and
relatives of Mrs. Quincy assembled at her
brother's, Mr. William Philips, in Tremont
Street. Her son attended her remains to
Quincy, and placed them beside those of his
father, in obedience to the request of both
parents; and thus fulfilled the last filial duty.
"Several weeks elapsed before I became
aware of the loss I had sustained, my
physician, alarmed at the eftect of his own im-
prudence, being anxious to postpone the agi-
tation and grief such intelligence Vk^ould occa-
sion. After I had recovered sufficient strength
to bear the excitement of the meeting, our
friends and relatives gathered around me, and
my own mother came on from New York. * *
"The first occurrence which turned the
course of our thoughts was the appointment
of Mr. Quincy, by the authorities of the town
of Boston, to deliver the oration on the 4th of
July, 1798, when I heard him speak in public
for the first time. His audience in the Old
South were excited by the aspect of political
affairs; and I observed that Colonel T. H. Per-
kins (the commander of the Cadets) and other
gentlemen were affected to tears by his impas-
sioned address.
"Our residence in the family mansion at
Quincy (which has since been our abode for
many happy years) commenced that summer,
and then began my friendship with President
and Mrs. Adams. * ♦ *
84 MEMOIRS OF
"In 1801, we made a journe}^ to New-
York in our carriage, and passed some weeks
with my eldest brother and his famih'. The3^
then resided at Greenwich, two miles from
New York, on an estate which our grand-
father, Mr. Kemper, had taken on a lease from
Trinit}'^ Church. The high banks of the Hud-
son, fringed with trees, on which the house
was situated, commanded an extensive view
of that noble river, and the grounds were or-
namented with trees and shrubs, and a fine
hawthorne hedge. When the lease expired
this estate was leveled and divided into city
lots; and the site of my brother's house is now
marked bv Morton Street, in the cit}^ of New-
York.
^^Mj brother, Washington Morton, who in
1797 married Cornelia Schujder, a daughter
of General Schuyler, of Albany, and my uncle
Daniel Kemper and his familj^ also resided at
Greenwich. * * *
"In the spring of 1802 1 gave a large party
on the return of Mr. and Mrs. John Ouincy
Adams from Europe. Our house in Pearl
Street was thrown open to all our acquaint-
ances, and a ball and supper arranged in the
most elegant style of that period.
"The following summer Mr. and Mrs.
Wolcott passed a month with us. Their num-
erous friends, George Cabot, Fisher, Ames, the
Higginson and Pomeroy families, and man3^
others gathered around them; and were con-
stantly engaged in a succession of parties and
entertainments, among which were included
several visits to President and Mrs. Adams, at
Quincy. The time passed delightfully^ away in
the companionship of these distinguished
friends."
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN, 85
After the preceding pages were written bj'-
Mrs, Quincy at leisure moments, they were
copied into a volume by her daughter, Marga-
ret Morton Quincy; from whose manuscript
they have been prepared for the press, and the
narrative concluded by Eliza Susan Quincy.*
(journal written by ELIZA SUSAN QUINCY.)
"Since the close of the last centurA^ Bos-
ton has almost lost its identity, by changes
within its precincts. The mansion where Mrs.
Quincy was received on her marriage stood
on the Southern slope of Fort Hill, surround-
ed by open fields.
"These are now covered by brick houses
and granite stores, and its site is marked by
the Quincy Block. It was a handsome edifice
of three stories, the front ornamented with
Corinthian pilasters; and pillars of the same
order supported a porch, from which three
flights of steps of red sandstone, and a broad
walk of the same material, descended to Pearl
Street. Honeysuckles were tvrined round the
porch, and high damask rosebushes grew be-
neath the windows. The estate extended to
High Street; and at the corner of Pearl Street
stood the stables and coach-house. * * *
"Mr. Merchant, a Bostonian, engaged in
the commerce then opening with China, erect-
ed the house on this estate, but died before its
completion.
"In 1792, it was sold with the land now-
comprehended in Quincy and Pearl Place, by
his executors, William Foster and Harrison
«Pabli8hed in Boaton, Msea., April 20, 1861.
86 MEMOIRS OF
Gray Otis, for a thousand pounds, to William
Philips, who caused his daughter to remove to
this mansion, which she arranged w4th taste
and elegance. The spacious hall was carpeted
with straw mattings, among the first import-
ed from China, and furnished with arm-chairs
and a lounge of cane. The dining and draw-
ing rooms, which opened from the hall on
either side, had cornices of stucco; and the
walls were hung with a plain green paper, re-
lieved by a broad highly colored border, rep-
resenting flowers and shells.
^'The furniture of the apartments was of
mahogany, carved and inlaid. Four Chinese
drawings in water-colors (views of Canton
and its vicinity) and an engraving of Stuart's
portrait of Washington hung in the dining-
room, which communicated with a china-
closet, and with a clock-room, in which stood
a high, old fashioned time piece, and a mahog-
any secretary and bookcase, with mirrors in
the doors. With the exception of the en-
trance-hall, the carpets w^ere of Brussels and
Axminster. Graceful wreaths of flowers, on a
white ground, formed the pattern in the draw-
ing room; in w^hich apartment there v^ere
large mirrors and cut-glass chandeliers.
''Among the ornaments were several rich
vases and an ivory model of a pagoda, pre-
sented by Major Shaw, in 1792, to Mrs. Abi-
gail Quincy. A large apartment in the second
story was devoted to the library, the books
being arranged in mahogany cases with
glazed doors. As the situation of the house
was elevated, it commanded an extensive view
of the town, crowned by the State House, and
by the monument on the beautiful cone of Bea-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 87
con Hill. Mr. Wolcott in 1802, admired these
structures, and said: 'The Bostonians, like the
Romans, may boast of their Capitol and their
triumphal column.' Mrs. Quincy replied:
'They are more like the Athenians. A grass-
hopper ought to be placed on Faneuil Hall.'
She was not then aware, that as a crest of the
Fanueils a grasshopper had actually long sur-
mounted the Cradle of Liberty.
"Before the American Revolution, Gover-
nor Oliver resided in Oliver Street. * * * AH
the churches in Boston except the Old South,
the Stone Chapel, the Brattle Street, and the
North Church, have been either rebuilt or
founded. * * *
"The mansion, which in 1789 became the
summer residence of Mrs. Quincy, and in 1861
continues that of the family,* was erected in
1770, by Josiah Quincy, of Braintree, on an
estate of several hundred acres purchased of
the Sachem ofMos, — Wechusett, in 1635, by
Edmund Quincy, of England, and which has
remained unalienated. It is a well propor-
tioned edifice of wood, two stories in height,
with attic forming a half story, the roof fin-
ished with a carved balustrade and eaves. * *
"The fireplace is of brown stone. The
cast iron chimney backs are stamped with the
date of the erection of the house; and on one is
a bust of General Wolfe, with military troph-
ies. In 1770, it was deemed a spacious and
elegant mansion, and the size of the panes of
glass in the windows, fourteen inches by ten,
excited the admiration and curiosity of the
neighborhood. * *
♦In 1877, the residence of Eliza 8. Quincy, the editor of the tutobiog-
raphy of her mother, and the writer of this memoir, and of her sister, Abbf
Philips Quincy, and Maria Sophia Quincy.
88 MEMOIRS OF
"This residence was the home of Josiah
Quincy, of Braintree, during the exciting-
scenes of the Revolution. Here he bade adieu
to his only surviving sons, — one exiled from
his country by the success of the patriotic
cause, vsrhich the other sacrificed his life to
promote; and here in brighter days, he corres-
ponded with Washington, enjoj^ed the society
of Bowdoin and Franklin and their contem-
poraries, and watched the infancy and child-
hood of his grandson, to whom, in 1784, he
bequeathed his portrait, bj' Coplej'-, and this
estate.
"With characteristic sensibility^ and en-
thusiasm, Mrs. Quinc}^ appreciated the inter-
esting associations of the place. It became
her favorite abode, where she delighted to re-
ceive the children and friends of the former own-
er, and to make them at home under her roof.
"In 1813, Mrs. Quincy formed a friend-
ship which continued through life with Judge
Vanderkemp, of Trenton, New York, who
came to Ouincj^ on a visit to President Adams,
with whom he had been acquainted in Hol-
land. Francis Adrian Vanderkemp was born
at Pampen, in the Netherlands, in 1752. After
attaining eminence as a military officer, a
scholar and a theologian, his patriotic efforts
in the support of the liberties of his country
rendered him obnoxious to the ruling powers;
and in 1788, he emigrated to the United States
of America with his famil^^ He brought let-
ters from Lafaj^ette to General Washington,
visited him at Mount Vernon, and was order-
ed to establish himself among his countrymen
in New York,
"He resided at Trenton, Oneida County,
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 89
in that State; and was employed by Governor
DeWitt Clinton to translate twenty-five folios
of ancient Dutch records, preserved in the
archives of New York.
"The German descent of Mrs. Quincj^ in-
terested him; and he requested an account of
her family, to send to Professor Kemper, of
Ley den, with whom he was in correspon-
dence. Professor Kemper was interested
and gratified by the account of the German
ancestry of Mrs. Quincy, transmitted by Mr.
Vanderkemp; and requested him to forward to
her an engraved likeness of himself, his coat of
arms, and an extract from his letter in which
he stated that his grandfather, Philip Kemper,
came from IvO\ver Germany; but that as he
lost his parents at ten years of age, he knew
but little of his paternal ancestry, and was un-
certain if the arms of his father were brought
from Germanj^ or assumed in Holland.
"The engraving enclosed bore such a
striking resemblance to Jacob Kemper as to be
thought his likeness by the elder relatives of
Mrs. Quincy, when it was shown to them ^th
the name concealed. His seal, on which the
arms ^vere engraved, was lost during his resi-
dence in New Jersey, and no copj^^^as retained.
They could not, therefore, be compared wdth
those of Professor Kemper, who, it was in-
ferred from various coincidences, \vas the
grandson of the eldest brother of Jacob Kem-
per, who, on his return from the East Indies,
settled in Holland. * * *
"Judge Vanderkemp, in 1829, bequeathed
to Mrs. Quincj' the original manuscripts of
his correspondence with Mrs. Governor Liv-
ingston and Mrs. Abigail Adams. The form-
90 MEMOIRS OF
er were presented to her friend, Mrs. Theodore
Sedgwick, a granddaughter of Mrs. Living-
ton. Those of Mrs. Adams remain in the pos-
session of the family.
"Colonel Kemper was aid-de-camp to
General Washington at the battle of German-
town. He offered to go with a flag of truce to
Chew's house, when a young of&cer arrived,
who was sent, and mortally wounded. His
brothers were Philip Kemper, who went to
the West Indies and returned and died in Phil-
adelphia; Jacob, who was a captain in the
American Army, and John, who entered the
naval service of the Colonies, underwent great
sufferings in the cause, and died in 1844<, at
Hudson, N. Y., leaving several children.
"Mrs. Jackson, (Susan Kemper), born in
New Brunswick, N. J., in 1748, survived all
her children, except Mrs. Davis, of Boston,
and Mrs. Bernard Henry and Dr. Jackson, of
Philadelphia. She passed the remainder of
her days under the immediate care of her eld-
est son. Dr. Jackson, and departed this lile in
1847, at the age of ninety-eight, the last of
the family* of Jacob and Maria Regini
(Ernest) Kemper, who emigrated from Caub,
in Germany, A. D. 1741.
"In May, 1805, after the election of Mr.
Quincy as representative in Congress from the
county of Suffolk, he leased his mansion in
Pearl Street to Hon. Christopher Gore, and re-
moved part of the furniture and his library to
Quincy. It was not without reluctance that
Mrs. Quincy relinquished this residence, asso-
ciated with the interesting events of the first
•*In 1861, the representatives of the name in the United States are the
Rev. Jackson Kemper, of the Episcopal Church, Bishop of Wisconsin, and
his sisters.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 91
years of her married life, in Boston; and the
prospect of a separation from a part of her
family caused great anxiety; but she deter-
mined, without hesitation, to accompany Mr.
Quincy to Washington. Their youngest chil-
dren were left at board with confidential
friends and domestics, and accompanied by
the eldest, and attended by two servants, they
left Boston in November, 1805. They trav-
eled in their carriage, with imperials on the
roof, sending most of their luggage by water
to Georgetown. On the third da\", by a route
then termed the Middle Road, through Wor-
cester and Stafford, they reached Hartford;
where they were immediately visited at the ho-
tel by Governor Trumbull, his son-in-law,
Daniel Wadsworth, and many of the leading
politicians of Connecticut. * * * At New
Haven the^^ were visited bj^ Mr. and Mrs.
Chauncey and by President Dwight, who ac-
companied them to visit the college edifice and
library. After passing se\"eral daj'^s in New
York, Princeton and Philadelphia, they
reached Washington the fourth week after
leaving Boston. At this period there were no
bridges, and the ferries were often danger-
ous. * * *
"To avoid hotel life, Mr. and Mrs. Quincy
obtained lodgings in the familj^ of Judge
Cranch, who resided on Pennsylvania Ave-
nue. * * * The height of partj^ politics did
not prevent Mrs. Quincy from renewing a
former friendship with Miss Bayard, of New
York, as Mrs. S. H. Smith, the wife of the
editor of the 'National Intelligencer,' then the
chief organ of the Administration, and with
Mrs. Madison she sustained most friendly re-
92 MEMOIRS OF
lations. Intelligence and animation, intuitive
perception of character and readiness and
tact in conversation, made her a general fav-
orite; and she highly enjoyed the variety and
brilliancj^ of the parties given by the perma-
nent and official residents then in Washington.
"Her costume united simplicitj^ with ele-
gance. Her carriage dress that winter, vcas a
short pelisse of black velvet edged round the
skirt with deep lace, and trimmed with silk
cord and jet buttons, and a hat of purple vel-
vet with flowers. A French dress and train of
rich white silk embroidered in gold, with a
corresponding head dress ornamented with a
single white ostrich feather, was said to be the
most elegant which appeared at a ball given
by the British Minister.
"During the winter Mrs. QuincA^ formed
an intimate and permanent friendship with
Mrs. Martha Peter, of Tudor Place, George-
town,— a granddaughter of Mrs. Washington,
and a woman of superior strength of charac-
ter and intellect."
Letter from Mrs. Peter to Mrs. Quincy.
"Tudor Place, Georgetown, D. C.
"July 13, 1813.
^^My Dear Mrs. Quincy:
"Accept my thanks for the very eloquent
oration of Mr. Quincy before the Washington
Benevolent Society. Tell him I have received
the thanks of that society for the gorget of
Washington which I presented to them, and
shall ever feel flattered by the approbation of
so respectable a portion of your community.
Mr. Quinc3^'s friendship for the giver has
caused him to represent her in too favorable a
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAU MAN. 93
light. The remarks of the 'National Intelli-
gencer,' on these proceedings in Boston, I
thought too contemptible to excite displeasure,
and concluded that to have gorged the editor
was a great triumph. As I hope never to re-
quire their assistance or favor, their declara-
tion of having no 'attachments to the relics or
relations of Washington,' was a compliment.
At any rate I should be sorrj^ that my conduct
met their approbation.
"We are all on the alert here to give the
British a warm reception. An express arrived
on Thursday last, sajdng they were in the
river; and, as the wind was fair we expected
every moment to see their v\rhite sheets shining
in the breeze. The drums began to beat, the
military to parade, and in a moment all was
bustle and alarm. Before night scarcely a
man \^^as to be seen in the streets; they were
all posted at Fort Washburton, opposite to
Alexandria. The Secretaries of War and of
the Navy joined in the van, and each new-
made officer vied with each other who should
put on the most finery. * * *
"I am so glad Mr. Peter has no fancy
for a military life, as I should much regret to
have him hold a commission under our present
rulers, or drav\r his sword in so unjust a cause.
"I beg 3^ou to write to me, whenever your
time will admit; for be assured, we take sin-
cere interest in all that concerns you.
"Tell Mr. Quincy I still flatter myself I
shall soon see him here as a Senator. * * *
"Very sincerely yours
"Martha Peter."
"On the 15th of March, 1806, Mr. and
Mrs. Quincy went to Mount Vernon, on an
94 MEMOIRS OF
inYitation from Judge and Mrs. Washington,
accompanied by their daughter and Judge
Cranch. Crossing the Potomac b3^ the ferry
at Georgetown, after a fatiguing day's jour-
ney in their carriage, they reached their desti-
nation at sunset, and were most hospitably
received. A niece and two nephews, and their
private tutor, then constituted the family of
Judge and Mrs. Washington. The evening
was passed in a small drawing-room between
the hall and an unfurnished apartment called
the 'banqueting room.'
*'A cheerful fire blazed on the hearth; and
beneath the windows, which looked towards
the Potomac, stood a grand piano, on which
Mrs. Washington played several difficult duets,
accompanied by the instructor of her nephews.
'^'The apartment assigned to Mrs. Quincy
^was the one in which Washington had died.
Early in the evening when her child was sent
there to sleep on a couch for the night, an old
negress, formerl3^ a slave in the familj^, insist-
ed on smoking her pipe in the chimney corner
under pretense of taking care of the young
stranger, who regarded her with great alarm.
"Her picturesque figure illuminated by the
flickering blaze of the fire, seemed to Mrs.
Quincy like a personification of the dark shad-
ow which slavery yet cast on the hearthstone
at Mount Vernon.
"Highly excited by the associations of the
place, the imagination of Mr, Quinc}', even
after he sunk to slumber, faithfully depicted the
apartment. He thought he heard a heavy
step in the hall, and was told the Spirit of
Washington always visited the guests who
slept in that chamber, and was then at his
door.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 95
''Extreme agitation caused him to awake;
but the scene was so vivid it remained, and it
was difficult for him to believe it was a dream
* * * Mr. Quincy arose, and looked from
the window. The Potomac glittered in the
moonlight, and the tomb of Washington was
distinctly visible.
"The next morning, Judge Washington
accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Quincy to visit the
garden and greenhouse and then took a path
which led towards the river. Pausing before
a simple wooden door in the bank of the Poto-
mac, he gave the key to Judge Cranch, and
walked away, — endeavoring to persuade his
youngest visitor to accompan\'- him, but, with
the petulance of childhood, she broke from his
grasp, and forcing her way between her father
and Judge Cranch, sprang through the door-
way, and was surprised and solemnized to
find herself surrounded by the repositories of
the dead, and close beside the coffin of Wash-
ington. It was apparently of oak, raised
slightly above the others, Vv^ith that of Mrs.
Washington beside it. Mrs. Quincy was deep-
ly touched by the scene, and struck by the ex-
C|uisite beauty of the situation. The bank de-
scending precipitately to the Potomac, al-
lowed every passing vessel to approach be-
neath the tomb of the departed hero, to pay
their tribute of respect, — 'And oft suspend the
dashing oar, to bid his gentle spirit rest.' * * *
"This visit to Mount Vernon, which end-
ed the next morning, was alwaj^s a subject of
interesting retrospection; and an affectionate
friendship was sustained through life with
Judge and Mrs. Washington.
"A protracted session of Congress de-
96 MEMOIRS OF
tained them in Washington until the 22d of
April. On reaching Boston, they reunited
their famih^ at Quincy, where they passed the
ensuing months.
"The chief event of that summer was a
total eclipse of the sun, a sublime spectacle,
which few of the inhabitants of this planet are
permitted to behold, especiall3^ under such pe-
culiar advantages as were given by the exten-
sive view of sea and land and the wide horizon
at Quincy.
"The sk}^ was without a cloud, the sun
shone \vith intense brilliancj^ until, at the in-
stant predicted bj^ astronomers, — bj^ manj
who had died without the sight, — a darkness
shadov^^ed the Western horizon toward the
Blue Hills. As the hours passed, and the sun
became obscured, star after star appeared.
The cattle came home; the birds ceased their
warbling, and retired to their nests; and all
nature \vas hushed. A dim twilight gleamed
from the horizon, reflected from those regions
whence the sun's rays were not excluded.
"Night closed around, the eclipse became
total, and for five minutes the sun appeared
like a dark globe in the firmament. It was a
solemn moment, a pause in nature deep and
awful. There was time to realize what the
world would be without the sun. His first re-
turning, 'shooting far into the bosom of dim
night a glimmering dawn,' was exquisitely
beautiful, and was hailed with joyful acclama-
tion. None of the subsequent eclipses of this
century could be compared in sublime effect
with that which occurred on the 16th of June,
1806. It was a memor3^ for life.
"In the autumn of 1806, Mr. and Mrs.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 97
Quincy made the same arrangements as the
preceding winter. In 1807 and 1808, Mr.
Quincy went alone to Washington, having es-
tablished his family in a house he owned on
Oliver Street, Fort Hill^ which commanded an
extensive view of the harbor and environs.
That vicinitj^ then comprised many eligible sit-
uations, the residence of Bostonians of emi-
nence and wealth." * ^ *
Letter to Mrs. Eliza S. Qnmcj.
"Washington, June 4, 1809.
"I dined yesterday" at Mount Vernon; six-
teen or twenty' members of Congress, all Fed-
erals, were of the party. Mrs. Washington
was absent; the Judge extremely pleasant and
polite.
"The view from Alount Vernon appears
more beautiful to me than when we visited it
in March, 1806.
"The house is in good repair, the gardens
well cultivated, and the whole estate in suffi-
cient order. * * * The place might be im-
proved; but such attempts might balance the
pleasure the^^ attained.
"I conversed with Washington's old ser-
vant, Billy. He could not speak of his master
without tears. He said that he was never
out of his mind for two hours, and that he
scarcely ever passed a night without dreaming
of him.
"On this visit I have no regret but that
you were not with me.
"JosiAH Quincy."
******
"In 1820, Mr. and Mis. Quincj^ removed
from Summer Street; Mr. Philips having re-
98 MEMOIRS OF
quested his nephew to accept of the house No.
1, Hamilton Place, for his residence. In No-
vember they took possession of this pleasant
abode, which commanded a fine view o^ the
malls and common, and invited Mrs. Morton,
then in her eight^^-second year, to reside v^ath
them. * * *
"In the summer of 1824, Mrs. Ouincy
made a tour to Niagara Falls in her carriage,
■with her two daughters; visiting Mr. and Mrs.
Bogert, at Ballston, and Mr. and Mrs. Wads-
w^orth, at Geneseo. Her eldest son met her at
Buffalo to attend her to viev^ the grand scen-
ery around the Falls of Niagara and to Can-
ada.
"In August, Mr. Ouincj^ as Mayor of
Boston, had the privilege of receiving hafaj-
ette, and passing with him through the as-
sembled populace. * * * In the evening Lafa-
ette came to Mr. Quincj^'s residence with his
suite. His reception b3^ Mrs. Quincy was
gracefully characteristic. Her words cannot
now be recalled; but her friend, Ellis Gray
Loring, after the lapse of thirtj^ ^xars, said he
accounted it one of the felicities of his life that
he witnessed this interview, and heard her ele-
gant and appropriate welcome to Lafayette.
"One evening at a party, where the con-
versation turned on the war of the Revolu-
tion, Mrs. Ouinc3^ said, 'The American cockade
was black and white, was it not, General?'
'Yes, Madam,' replied Lafa^'-ette, 'it was black
at first, but, when the French army came over
and joined us, we added the white in compli-
ment to ^kem '
"Cn Sunday, August 29, Lafaj^ette, accom-
panied by his son, G. W. Lafayette, and M.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 99
Levasseur, visited Mr. and Mrs. Ouincj^ at
their summer residence. Among their family
assembled to welcome him were Mrs. Morton,
eighty-five, and Mrs. Storer, eighty-eight
years or age. To them the interview was
verj^ affecting; for his presence recalled the
scenes and the trials of the war of the Revolu-
tion. He dined with President Adams; and,
at his residence, received the inhabitants of the
vicinity in the afternoon. * * *
"In 1825, the publication of a memoir of
Josiah Quincy, Jun., of 1775, b^- his son, and
the second visit of General Lafayette, were
sources of great interest to Mrs. Quincy.
"In June. Boston was again crowded
with distinguished foreigners and strangers
from all parts of the United States. Many of
them were present at a reception Mrs. Quincy
gave, on the evening of the 16th of June, for
Lafayette. The morning of the 17th of June
w^as bright and cloudless. The sound of can-
non recalled the day of the conflict, when,
from the precincts of Boston, the inhabitants
looked forth w4th emotions far different from
those w^hich, in 1825, animated the multitudes
thronging the streets of a city established in
prosperity and peace. In Charlestowm, at the
base of the northern declivity' of Bunker Hill, a
platform was erected for the oration, and the
chief personages, with seats on each side for
the ladies; those for the survivors of the battle
of June 17, 1775, for Lafayette and the sold-
iers of the Revolution, and for the rest of the
vast audience, rose tier above tier toward
and upon the summit of the hill.
"Many passages in the oration of Mr.
Webster were highly applauded, and the
100 MEMOIRS OF
^ivhole scene was impressive. In the evening
the houses of Mr. Webster and Mr. Thorndike,
thrown into one for the occasion, were crowd-
ed with a brilliant assembh^; and the scenes of
the morning formed the general theme. Mrs.
Quincj^ in conversation with Mr. Webster,
thanked him for the tribute he had paid to
Josiah Quincy, Jun., 1775, in his oration.
'There is no need of my help in that cause,'
was the ^epl3^ 'The memoirs Mr. Quincy has
published will be an enduring monument. It
is one of the most interesting books I have
ever lead, and brings me nearer than any
other to the spirit which caused the American
Revolution. Josiah Ouincj^, Jr., was a noble
character. I love him because he loved the
law. How zealous he was in seeking out the
celebrated lawj^ers, in copying their reports,
in studying the laws of the different colonies!
There are no such men now-a-da^^s. Who
keeps such journals?' Mrs. Quincy replied:
'I hope you do Mr. Webster.' 'No, I do not.
The times are far different. The members of
Congress do not write such letters now.' Re-
ferring to the scenes of the morning, he said: *I
never desire to see again such an awful sight
as so many thousand human faces all turned
toward me. It was indeed a sea of faces I be-
held at that moment.' Dr. Warren informed
Mrs. Quincy that he had put the memoirs of
Josiah Quinc3^, Jr., into the corner stone of the
Bunker Hill monument, among the memorials
of the Revolution. ^' * *
"The last evening of Lafayette's visit was
passed at the Boston Theatre, which was ap-
propriately- decorated. Ever3' tribute to him
was received with great applause, and on his
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 101
last public appearance he was followed ^vith
the same enthusiasm which greeted his en-
trance into Boston. * * *
"On the 1st of October, Mr. J. Q. Adams,
Judge Davis, Gilbert Stuart, the artist, and
Mr. J. P. Davis, dined with Mr. Quincy. At
the dinner table, Mrs. Quincy referred to the
happy idea of naming the frigate, which was
to carrj^ Lafayette to France, the Brandy-
wine. Yet, when I bade Lafa\^ette farewell at
the President's house at Washington and he
turned from me to depart, his deep emotion,
my own, and the excitement of the multitudes
around us, — all in tears, — presented a scene I
never saw equalled. The effect Mrs. Siddons
produced on a crowded audience, at the close
of a. highly wrought traged3^, approached the
nearest to it, but this was an event in real
life. * ^ *
"After having been elected Mayor of Bos-
ton five successive \xars, Mr. Quincj^ took
final leave of that ofhce on the 3rd of Januar\',
1829; and on the 15th was chosen President
of Harvard University. The acceptance of a
station involving such great responsibility
was at first regarded with hesitation by Mrs.
Quincy. To relinquish both her favorite
abodes, especially her home at Quince', and re-
move her famih", including her mother, Mrs.
Morton, then ninety A^ears of age, to a new
residence, appeared an arduous task, but
when the claims of that ancient seminary,
in which she had long taken a great interest,
were urged by her friend, Dr. Bowditch, then a
leading member of the corporation, she con-
sented that Mr. Quincy should accept the ap-
pointment. Once determined, her arrange-
102 MEMOIES OF
ments were prompt and judicious. The estate
at Quincy became the residence of her eldest
son, and in May, 1829, her family was re-
moved to the President's house, wnich had
been repaired and arranged under her direc-
tion.
''The inauguration of Mr. Quincy, on the
2nd of June, was justly characterized as a
day of enthusiasm. Surrounded bj^ troops of
friends, and received by the officers and stu-
dents of the University with every testimony
of pleasure and welcome, the crowded levee
and the brilliant illumination of the evening
closed a day of gratification. * * *
"Mrs. Craigie (in whose mansion in 1795
Mrs. Quinc3^ had been received as Miss Mor-
ton) and Mr. and Mrs. William Wells, long her
valued friends, were among the first to greet
her in her new residence.
"The hospitalities of Cambridge were cor-
dially reciprocated, and during the first four
years of Mr. Quincy 's administration, the
President's house was thrown open one even-
ing in the week, in the winter season, to the
officers and students of the college, and to the
general society of the town and vicinity. Dur-
ing sixteen years, Mrs. Quincy was only once,
on any public occasion, prevented by illness
from receiving her friends. * * *
"The health of her mother, Mrs. Morton,
remained unimpaired until September, 1832.
Having passed twelve j^ears in the family of
Mr. Quincy, she departed, after a short illness,
on the 22d of September, 1832; and it was a
remarkable incident, that in closing, in the
President's house at Cambridge, a life of
ninety-three years commenced on the banks of
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 103
the Rhine, she was attended, not only by her
daughter and her grandchildren, but also
by her sister, Mrs. Jackson, (Susan Kemper).
Preserving her mind and life-long habits of in-
dustry and order, she read her Bible and Ger-
man hj^mn book, and though a strict Calvin-
ist attended the Unitarian church until a fort-
night previous to her death.
"In January, 1833, Mrs. Quincy was
summoned to Dedham by the decease of Mrs.
Shaw, at the age of seventy-seven, ^who, hj
the excellenc3^ of her character, commanded
the respect of all around her; and by her
affection for her nephew and his family,
deserved and received every filial attention.
The portrait of Major Shaw, in her apart-
ment, recalled to Mrs. Quincy scenes of her
early life in New York, during his engagement
to Miss Beauman; and it seemed a singular
coincidence, that, in that distant time and
place, she should stand toward his ^dow in
the relation of an adopted child. * * *
"Among the visitors at this time were
Spurzheim, Audubon, Dr. Julius, of Berlin,
Washington Irving and many other eminent
men.
"On the 4th of September, 1833, the two
hundredth anniversary' of the landing of Bd-
mund Quincy, of England, was celebrated, on
the estate he purchased of the Indians, by a
familv meeting of his descendants.
"Mrs. S. R. Miller, the mother of Mrs. J.
Quincj', Jr., who then passed the summer
months with her daughter at Quincy, took
great interest in the occasion and contributed
hj her taste to the decoration of the old man-
sion, and the reception of a party of guests.
104 MEMOIRS OF
"A parchinent prepared for the purpose,
was signed by Mr. and Mrs. Quincy and Mrs.
Miller and the rest of the famil_v, as a memor-
ial of the day, to be transmitted to the future
representatives of the name.
"The course of the Revolution in France,
in which Lafaj^ette was engaged, in 1830, was
watched by his friends in Cambridge with
great interest. The captain of an American
ship, who was in France at the time, and who
was acquainted with Lafayette said the Gen-
eral told him that the night the Revolution
began in Paris, his familj^, knowing he was re-
garded as its leader, insisted on his leaving his
own mansion. He went to the house of one of
his daughters, and before morning the RoA^al
troops took possession of the lower story;
Lafaj^ette saw them from the staircase, but
the3^ were unconscious of his presence and that
he was thus accidentally their prisoner.
He kept quiet, and the next morning there
was a conflict in the street beneath the house.
The royalists were defeated, and left the prem-
ises, and he was again at liberty.
"Lafayette continued to write every j^ear
to Mr. Ouinc3% until this period, when his en-
gagements obliged him to employ' a secre-
tary^; but he always signed his letters and sent
a message to Mrs. Quinc\^ with his own hand.
"Her daughter, Mrs^. B. D. Greene (Mar-
garet M. Quincy), with Mr. Greene, visited
LaGrange in 1833, and were received with
great affection bj^ Lafa3'ette, who spoke with
enthusiasm of his visit to America, remember-
ing the most trivial circumstances.
"On the 29th of March, 1831, Lafayette
cut from a Paris newspaper his last communi-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAU MAN. 105
cation to the Chamber of Deputies, and en-
closed it to Mrs. Ouincy. It was received by
his friend on the 21st of May, 1834 — the daj^
on which his eventful life terminated."
To Thomas Jefferson, Ex-President of
the United States, Monticello.
''QuiNCY, Jan. 14, 1826.
''My Dear Sir:
"Permit me to introduce to your acquain-
tance a young law3'er by the name of Josiah
Quincy, with the title of Colonel; being aid to
our Governor. The name of Colonel Ouincy,
I believe, has never been extinct for nearly two
hundred years.
"He is a son of our excellent Mayor of the
cit}^ of Boston, and possesses a character un-
stained and irreproachable. I applaud his am-
bition to visit Monticello and its great inhabi-
tant; and while I have my hand in, I can-
not cease without giving you some account of
the state of m^^ mind. I am certainh^ very
near the end of my life. I am ver3^ far from
trifling with the idea of death, which is a great
and solemn event; but I contemplate it with-
out terror or dismay, aut transit, ant Jinit,
which I cannot believe and I do not believe
there is then an end of all; but I shall never
know it, and wh^^ should I dread it? — which I
do not. If transit, I shall ever be under the
same constitution and administration of gov-
ernment in the universe, and I am not afraid
to trust and confide in it.
"I am ever your friend,
"John Adams."
"In the winter and spring of 1826, Mr.
106 MEMOIRS OF
and Mrs. Quinc^^ frequently visited Mr.
Adams, — and in June before they returned to
their summer residence, he often drove down
the avenue to ascertain if they had not ar-
rived. On Friday, the 30th of June, Mrs.
Quincy visited Mr. Adams, with her mother,
Mrs. Morton, and two of her daughters. He
conversed about the railroad (the first in
America) then constructing to carry the gran-
ite for the Bunker Hill monument from Quincy
to the Neponset; said he wished he could see it
finished; and added, ^What wonderful im-
provements those will see in this country, v^ho
live fifty years hence! but I am thankful I
have seen those which have taken place during
the last fifty years.' He then spoke of the ap-
proaching celebration of the 4th of July, and of
the oration Mr. Quincy was to deliver in
the Old South Church, on the fifteenth anni-
versary of that day; and said he wished he
had strength to go and hear him, and took an
affectionate leave of his friends. After they
had left the room, he expressed his intention
to return their visit the next day.
"Accordingly, before eight o'clock on the
morning of Saturday, the 1st of July, in oppo-
sition to the entreaties of his famil}-, he was
lifted into his carriage by his absolute com-
mand, and attended by one of his grandsons,
once more reached the door of Mr. Ouincy's
mansion, conversed with his friends as they
stood around his carriage, and again said 'Fare-
well.' The effort was too great for his failing
strength. After his return he rapidly declined.
Mrs. Quincy was not aw^are of the change, as
on Monday, the 3rd of July, she went to Bos-
ton to be present at the celebration of the
Fourth.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 107
"When addressing the multitude as-
sembled in the Old South Church, on the 4th
of July, 1826, the tribute paid bj^ Mr. Quincy to
'the Patriarch of American Independence, of
all New England's worthies the sole survivor,'
was highly applauded. The sounds of a Na-
tion's joy were heard by that ancient citizen
of Boston; and when the shades of his evening
sky reflected the splendors of his meridian
brightness, he joined the great company of the
departed.
"The death of John Adams on this anni-
versary seemed an event too remarkable to oc-
cur; and the intelligence was at first received
with incredulity. On the 5th of July, the
event was announced by minute guns from
the Common, the tolling of bells, and the flag
of the United States e.t half-mast. The one on
the flagstaff on the site of the Libert}^ Tree, in
Washington Street, was especialh" observed
by Mrs. Quincy and her children, as they left
Boston amid these tokens of respect. The
sorrow for the removal of a friend so long
their affectionate associate, was mingled with
admiration and gratitude for so appropriate
a termination of his career.
"On the 7th of Juh^, a numerous assembly
attended the obsequies of John Adam.s in his
native village, 'where his latter da^'S went
down the vale of 3^ears.'
The excitement of the public, occasioned
by the death of John Adams, was renewed and
deepened on the ninth of Juh", when intelligence
arrived that Thomas Jefferson had also died
on the fiftieth anniversary^ of the Fourth, at
half- past t\velve o'clock, while the Declaration
of Independence was being read at Charlottes-
ville, near Monticello.
108 MEMOIRS OF
''The Declaration of Independence was
adopted by Congress on the 4th of Julj^, 1776,
between the hours of twelve and one o'clock,
and i^ublicly proclaimed at five in the after-
noon. Thus Mr. Jefferson died fifty j^ears
after its adoption; Mr. John Adams fifty years
after its promulgation.
"John Quincy Adams soon arrived from
Washington, and passed Sunday evening, the
17th of July, at Mrs. Quincy's house. The
feelings which the recent event had excited at
first made his friends hesitate to dwell on the
subject; but he afterwards spoke of his father
as he would have done of any historical char-
acter to whom he held no immediate relation.
"While sustaining the bonds of early af-
fection, Mrs. Quincy was ever ready to extend
the range of her friendship. Having formed
an accjuaintance with Mrs. Ballestier,* who
was soon to embark for Singapore (Mr. Bal-
lestier having been appointed United States
consul at that place) Mrs. Quincy recom-
mended to her notice a 'Memoir of Sir Stam-
ford RafHes,' which she had then recentlj^ read.
This incident caused a correspondence, from
which the following extracts are given:
To Mrs. QuincA', Cambridge, Massachu-
setts.
"Singapore, April 13, 1837.
^''My Dear Madam: — Your just apprecia-
tion of the character and the efforts of Sir
Stamford Raffles, in founding the English col-
onj' here, induces me to ask A'our acceptance
of some nutmegs from the garden laid out by
*A daughter of Paul Reveie, whose name is of historical interest.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 109
his direction, and some specimens of the
pitcher-plant, or, as the natives call it 'the
monkey cup.' The flowers grow, as jon will
observe, suspended at the end of the leaves,
and when brought to me were half full of
v/ater and insects. The small specimens were
a beautiful green. I have filled them with the
Siam cotton, also a curiosity, as it grows on a
loft\^ tree, in large green pods.
"I also send one of the marine produc-
tions of ^.he waters of Singapore, fancifully
called Neptune's cup. Beautiful varieties of
coral are also found here, but are not so rare
as these natural vases, some of which will hold
several gallons. They seem to be of the nature
of sponge, but are much harder, and will
stand the sun and rains of a tropical climate
for months. I have several of them on the
portico and in the border of my garden, in
which I place my plants."
''Singapore, Oct. 29, 1838.
"Your ver\^ interesting letter of December
last reached me in safetA^i after its long voy-
age, and it gave me great pleasure to hear
that the dried plants were in good preserva-
tion.
"I now ask jonr acceptance of some cos-
tumes from Aiadras, which, although rudely
drawn, are faithful; and also two paintings of
fruits peculiar to the Straits of Malacca, — the
Mangostin and the Dusian. They will have
an interest for you, as executed bj^ an old
draughtsman of Sir Stamford Raffles, now a
cripple; but though confined to his couch, he
supports himself b^^ painting the fruits and
flowers of the Straits. * * * The handker-
110 MEMOIRS OF
chief they are wrapped in is of native manufac-
ture, and comes from Collanton, up the coast,
eight miles from Singapore. * * *
"I ask your son-in-law, Mr. Greene's, ac-
ceptance, as President of the Natural History
Society, of some birds from the coast of Coro-
mandel, nine in number. They were prepared
and given to me by a French naturalist, and
were duplicates.
"Allow me to thank you for 'Van Arte-
velde,' and for the 'Life of Washington,' by
Mr. Sparks, a great pleasure to us, and a
source of pride in showing it to the Europeans
here, who know little of the United States, ex-
cept what they are told hj prejudiced travel-
ers. By this opportunity^ I also send jou a
Siamese manuscript, and some of the books
printed in Siam, for the use of the natives, by
the American mission, and also some from
China. * * *
"October IS, 1841.
"Your letter and the beautiful volumes of
the 'History of Harvard University,' — a most
valuable work, gratifjnng us in man^^ ways, —
arrived after a short voyage. I lately sent
you another manuscript, bj-- Hon. Mark Kerr,
a young Englishman, the grandson of the
Marquis of Lothian, and introduced to us by
Mr. James Brooke, who is here, in his own
yacht, for scientific purposes, and to whom
Mr. Ballestier gave a letter to President
Quincy.
"I now offer a'ou an illustrated Siamese
manuscript, entitled 'A Treatise on Fortune-
telling,' — a missionar^^ friend had it executed
for me, and also a specimen of the Venus
supper, an orchidaceous plant from the Prince-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. Ill
of-Wales Island. It reminds me of a similar
plant I saw, when very young, at Canton,
Massachusetts, called bj^ the country- people
the 'Whippoorwill Shoe.' The beautiful color
of the leaves is almost destroyed by the drying.
"With ever}^ kind wish for j^our happiness,
"Very sincerely 3' ours
"Maria Revere Ballestier."
"Soon after the date of this letter, Mrs.
Ballestier died at Singapore. An extract from
a tribute to her memorj', in an English jour-
nal, is here inserted: —
"Occupying a prominent position in soci-
etj, Mrs. Ballestier endeared herself to all by
every social virtue, proving that they are not
only compatible with, but heightened in their
value b\^ being accompanied hj the amenities
of life. To obtain her good offices, it was only
requisite to need them.
"A quiet dignity of demeanor, that has
passed, we fear, with the old school, gave a
pleasing grace to her manners. Her heart was
young withal. How often have we seen it go
with the little children at their -playl Her
sympathetic nature was truly catholic, em-
bracing in the fullest sense the whole human
family."
"In July, 1839, Mrs. Dowse, the widow
of Edward Dowse, and the last survivor of
the sisters of Mrs. Abigail Quinc^^, died at the
age of eighty-two years.
"After the loss of her sister, Mrs. Shaw,
Anna W. Storer became, through the arrange-
ment by Mrs. Quincj', an intimate in her fami-
ly. Her companionship and affectionate at-
tention contributed to the happiness ol the
112 MEMOIRS OF
last six years of the life of Mrs. Dowse, at
whose residence the letter was written from
which an extract is here inserted."
To Hon. Josiah Quincy.
"Dedham, October 1839.
* * * "I looked with deep interest at your
father's monument during my last visit to
Quincy, for the first erection of which I was
solicitous nearly forty years ago; and I am
now^ gratified by its repair and renovation. It
does not often fall to the lot of a son twice to
build the monument of his parents; but if such
a tribute was deserved, that claim is surely
theirs. And well has it been answered 'by
their only surviving child,' not onl}^ by monu-
mental marble, but by a life worth^^ of their
name and example. It must now remain w^ith
those who are to come after us to continue to
preserve the memory and the memorial of
those we have honored and loved. But,
whether they do so or not, the past is secure,
and you may willingly leave to the future the
record of j^our own claims, public and pri-
vate, to the grateful remembrance of your
friends and your children.
"I have just returned from visiting the
cemetery here, and the monument you have
erected to the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Dowse
and Mrs. Shaw. I return to their mansion
with a heart lull of affectionate remembrance
of all their love and kindness to us and our
children. In the disposition of their late
abode as the residence of our j^oungest son,*
they would have been gratified, and I hope our
*Edinund Quincy whose residence it remains in 1877. The portrait of
Mrs. Shaw haugg in one ol the apartments.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 113
children's children will be taught to whom
they owe this goodlj^ heritage, and honor
their memory as they deserve.
"Eliza S. Quincy."
'^During the last years of her residence in
Cambridge the establishment of the Observa-
tory had been an object of interest to Mrs.
Quincy. On the Sth of May, 1848, a transit
of Mercury was observed in New Bngland for
the first time in sixty years.
"Mr. John Quincy Adams came to Cam-
bridge to view it, and in the afternoon Mrs.
Quincy had the pleasure of seeing the planet
on the disc of the sun, through the telescope,
and of watching the observation of Mr. Bond.
"When Mr. Quincy attained the age of
seventy years, he purchased a house in Boston
for the future residence of his family, and in
March, 1848, resigned the Presidency of Har-
vard University. The announcement of his
intentions to leave the official station he had
long filled, and to remove with his family
from Cambridge, was received with a strong
and general expression of regret, especially
from all those immediately connected with the
University. But he never wavered in his de-
cision to retire w^hile his health w^as un-
impaired and when he could leave the institu-
tion in perfect order, prosperous, improved
and enlarged in all its branches during his ad-
ministration. Although to Mrs. Quincy and
her family, a removal from Cambridge, where
they had acquired new friends, passed many
happy years, and formed many pleasing asso-
ciations, was attended with regret, they coin-
cided in the opinion that it was the golden
moment for the change to be made.
114 MEMOIRS OF
"Among the many parting testimonies of
respect paid to Mr. Ouincy, the request of the
four classes of undergraduates for his bust hj
Crawford, to be placed in Gore Hall, was the
most gratifjang. A consequent acquaintance
with that accomplished artist, who modeled
his work in an apartment in the President's
house, was a great pleasure to Mrs. Quincy.
The closing tributes on Commencement Day,
in August, 1845, and the crowded levee of the
evening, equalled in interest and animation
those of the second of June 1829.
"In September, Mr. and Mrs. Quincy took
possession of the commodious house they
had selected in Bowdoin Place, and were re-
ceived b3^ their friends in Boston with every
attention on their return, and during the suc-
ceeding years they were constantly visited by
those whom they had left in Cambridge. * * *
"The sixth of June, 1847, the fiftieth an-
niversary of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Quincy, w^as celebrated with appropriate test-
imonies of affection from their familj^ w^ho met
at the mansion in Bowdoin Place, in the even-
ing.
"For several years after their return to
their former places of residence, Mrs. Quincy
retained her power of participating in all the
occurrences vi^hich interested those around
her. The last public occasion at which she
was present was on the twent^'-fifth of Octo-
ber, 1848, when her eldest son, Josiah Quinc^^,
Jr., as Maj^or of Boston, presided over the
completion of the Cochituate Aqueduct. It
w^as the great festival of the whole people at
this period.
"The order which prevailed aiuong the
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 115
multitudes who thronged the streets of the
city, and the moment, when at the command
of the Mayor, the water of the distant lake
gushed up in a splendid fountain on the Com-
mon, is remembered with pleasure by the
many thousands of the citizens w^ho witnessed
the scene and enjo\'ed the celebration.
"The health of Mrs. Ouincy remained un-
impaired until the last year of her life, and the
fe^v months of her decline were passed at
Quinc3', amid the devoted attentions of her
famih' and the tributes of long tried friend-
ship. Her memory and intellectual powers
remained perfect, and the resources of litera-
ture, ever her peculiar delight, employed her
leisure hours.
"Her Christian faith was firm, and sus-
tained by 'an unfaltering trust,' she closed her
long and happy life of seventy-seven years, at
Ouincy, on Sunday morning the first of Sep-
tember, 1850, in tranquillity and peace, with
gratitude for the past and with confidence
and hope for the future.
"Margaret Morton, bom in New York,
in 1772, the only sister of Mrs. Quincy, resid-
■ed in her family from 1800 to 1809, when she
returned to New York.
"A woman of great strength of character,
she was fond of reading, accomplished, le-
markable for industry'-, and her skill in em-
broidery. Her early associates were among
the most fashionable women of the day. Mrs.
Henderson, ot New York, to whose daughter,
May, afterwards Mrs. Theodore L3'man, of
Boston, she stood as god-mother, was her in-
timate friend.
"In 1815, Miss Morton married David
116 MEMOIRS OF
Ritzeman Bogert, Esqr., of Beckman, Dutchess
County, N. Y., who in early life resided on
Broadwaj^ near Mrs. Morton's family, and
had been at that time attached to her daugh-
ter. After an absence of twenty years, conse-
quent on his remoyal to Beckman, he returned
to New York after the decease of his parents,
and renewed his friendship with Miss Morton.
Thc}^ were married in 1815 and resided at
Beckman until 1823, w^hen thej^ removed to
Malta, near Ballston, N. Y.
"In both places of their residence the\^
were greath' esteemed bj^ all their friends and
associates.
* * * "Mr. Bogert was 'descended from a
Dutch family, and on his decease, at the age of
eighty years, he bequeathed the portrait of his
maternal ancestor, the Rev. David Ritzeman,
of Albanj^, to the Historical Societ}- of that
city. A ntunber of valuable books m the
Dutch language he gave to President Quincy,
who presented them in his name to the Library
of Harvard University, and they were deposit-
ed in Gore Hall.
"His farm and property he bequeathed to
his wife, who passed the last years of her life in
the family of his nephew, Charles F.Morton,
Esqr., at his residence in the house at New
Windsor, known as the headquarters of Gen-
eral Knox during the war of the Revolution.
Retaining her mental powers, her correspond-
ence with her relatives and friends was re-
markable for the steadiness and clearness ol
her handwriting, for piquant expressions of
opinions, and for anecdote.
"By her niece, Mrs. Charles F. Morton,
Mrs. Bogert was affectionately attended, and
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 117
died after a short illness, in August 1859,
aged eighty-seven.
"Clark Morton, the j^oungest brother of
Mrs. Quincy, entered into business as a mer-
chant, and died early in life. Washington
Morton was a man of uncommon ability and
talent, and was also distinguished for his fig-
ure and personal appearance, being above six
feet in height. His wife, Cornelia Schuyler,
a sister of Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, was one
of the most beautiful women of her da}"; she
was amiable and intelligent, and her death in
1807, was a great calamity to her familj'.
"Her husband survived her but a short
time, and died in France. Washington Mor-
ton named his youngest daughter, Mary Re-
gina, after his grandmother, Mrs. Kemper.
As the widow of William Starr Miller, of New
York, she purchased an estate, which her an-
cestors in the Schu3'ler family inherited from
Mr. Beckman, the first proprietor of Rhine-
beck, where she has erected a L3'ceum, and is
meritoriously emplojang her fortune for the
benefit of the inhabitants.
"It is a singular coincidence, that by the
mere contingencies of life, without a knowl-
edge of the fact, such a design should in 1861,
be carried into effect by the descendants and
namesake of Mrs. Kemper, at the place where
her brother, Mr. Ernest, was first established
and where she passed her first winter in Amer-
ica, in 1741."
Letter from Mrs. Anna C. L. Q. Water-
ston to Miss Quincy, Qtiincy, Massachusetts.
118 memoirs of
"Caub-on-the-Rhine-
'July 7, 1857.
'^'- My Dear Susan:
"The above date will call up many asso
ciations to your mind, and manj^ many arise
in mine, as I find myself writing to you from
this old Rhine town, with which our existence
is so strongly interwoven. Here are the river,
the hills; the old Castle of Gutenfels frowns
above us, and the Pfalz stands upon the rock
in the channel, just as they did w^hen the Kem-
per family left Rhineland for what was an al-
most undiscovered countr^^
"Helen and I must be among the first di-
rect descendants w^ho return to the old place.
The great, and great-great grandchild of those
who Avent to the new world so long ago. Af-
ter spending the da^^ at Oberwessel, with its
old tower, and the church which contains the
tombs of the Schomberg family, we took one
of the sail boats down the river, and were
steered towards Caub, which lay in the dis-
tance.
"As our little boat floated up the Rhine
just before sunset, I thought I could truly im-
agine that 'Spirits twain had crossed with
me.'
"The town is very picturesque and very
old. Yet it is not dismal or ruined. It looks in
good order, and as if the people were thriving.
The mountains are covered with vineyards,
and the kitchen gardens lie on the river bank,
and seem to have no dividing line.
"The little inn, or Gausthaus, in which
Mr. Waterston, Helen, and m3^self now are, is
neatness itself, and if grandma revisits her
birthplace to-night to take a spiritual look at
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 119
lier descendants, even she would be satisfied
with the perfect cleanHness of onr surround-
ings.
"How often have I heard her speak of the
castle in the river, and mama repeat the
name.
"While I looked at the view of Caub you
copied as the frontispiece to her memoirs, and
saw in Margaret's handwriting the account of
the Kempers leaving the Rhine, in that inter-
esting story, it is difficult to believe we are ac-
tually here, that I have come to that place so
familiar by long association.
"How strangeh^ are all our destinies
linked in with those of other daj'S — long, long
passed away."
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV.
GEO. J. L. DOLL.
On the 16th of November, 1782, Kingston
was honored b\'- a visit from General Wash-
ington, on his way, hj a circuitous route,
from New Jersey to West Point. After pass-
ing the night of the 15th with his companion-
at-arms. Colonel Cornelius Wynkoop, at his
homestead at Stone Ridge, he proceeded on
his way to Kingston.
The following is an address delivered by
the Rev. Dr. George J. L. Doll (in behalf of the
Consistorj' of the First Dutch Reformed
Church of Kingston) to General Washington
on that occasion:
"Sir — Amidst the general joj^ which in-
stantly pervaded all ranks of people here on
hearins^ of vour Excellencv's arrival to this
place
"We, the Minister, Elders and Deacons of
the Protestant Reformed Dutch Church in
Kingston participated in it, and now beg
leave with the greatest respect and esteem to
hail your arrival.
"The experience of a number of years past
has convinced us, that jonr wisdom, integrity
and fortitude have been adequate to the ardu-
ous task your countr}^ has imposed upon 3^ou;
120
DR. WILLIAM HENRY DOLL.
COi^uNii;L Sj^BASTIAN BEAUMAN. 121
never have we in the most perilous of times
known your Excellency to despond, nor in the
most prosperous to slacken in activity, but
with the utmost resolution persevere until by
the aid of the Almighty you have brought us
this year to Independence and Freedom and
Peace.
"Permit us to add that the loss of our re-
ligious rights was partly involved in that of
our civil, and your being instrumental in re-
storing the one, affords us a happy presage
that the Divine Being will prosper your en-
deavors to promote the other.
"When the sword shall be sheathed and
Peace re-established, and whenever it is the
Will of Heaven that your Bxcellenc}' has lived
long enough for the purposes of nature, then
may you enter triumphantly thro' the Blood
of the Lamb into the regions of bliss, there to
take possession of that Crown of Glory, the
reward of the virtuous and which fadeth not
away."
To which address his Excellenc3'^ replied
as follows:
"Gentlemen — I am happ^' in receiving
this public mark of the esteem of the Minister,
Elders and Deacons of the Reformed Protest-
ant Dutch Church in Kingston.
"Convinced that our religious liberties
Avere as essential as our civil, my endeavors
have never been wanting to encourage and
promote the one, while I have been contending
for the other, and I am highly flattered by
finding that my efforts have met the approba-
tion of so respectable a bod\'.
"In return for \^ our kind concern for m}^
122 MEMOIKS OF
temporal and eternal happiness permit me to
assure j^ou that my wishes are reciprocal; and
that 3^011 may be enabled to hand down your
religion pure and undefiled to a posterity'-
worthy of their ancestors is the prayer of
"Gentlemen,
"Your most obedient servant
"Geo. Washington."
"The arrival of the general and his suite
was greeted with great rejoicings on the part
of the citizens. He put up at the public house
of Evert Bogardus, but accompanied by his
staff he dined with Judge Dick Wynkoop, in
Green Street. In the evening there was a
gathering of ladies in the Bogardus ball-room,
which was honored for a short time by the at-
tendance of the general, when the ladies were
severally introduced to him. The next morn-
ing at an early hour he left the village and
continued his journey."
(Schoonmaker's History of Kingston.)
The following is an address to the Hon-
orable the Regents of the University of N. Y.
"His Excellency George Clinton, Chan-
cellor, and the Honorable the Regents of the
University of the State of New York.
"Most Respected Sirs: — The Trustees
of Kingston Academy, in the County of Ulster,
take the liberty of addressing your honorable
body upon the present flourishing situation
of the Seminary committed to their particular
care, and trust that an anxious solicitude for
its further prosperity will apologize for any
impropriety in this communication.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 123
"Since the first establishment of this
Academj' by the Trustees of the Corporation
of Kingston in the year 1774, thej^ have been
very fortunate in providing able teachers
therein, and without any other fund than the
bare tuition money; have had a number of pu-
pils committed to their care, from among
whom can now be selected characters, who
have since been preferred by their fellov^ citi-
zens to the important offices of a Lieutenant-
Governor and President of the Senate, a
Speaker of the Assembh^ a Justice of the Su-
preme Court, a Mayor of one populous city,
and both Ma3^or and Recorder of another.
Several members of the National and State
Legislatures, besides a number of characters
eminent in their several professions of Divinity,
Law and Physic.
"From this pleasing review of the past,
the Trustees hope not to be thought vain or
assuming in considering Kingston Academy
equal in usefulness to any other of like estab-
lishments within this State; and as such, mer-
iting the fostering care and attention of the
Honorable Regencj^ as its common parent.
"Since our Deed of Incorporation of the
third day of Februarj^ 1795, there having
been but one visitation to the Academ^^^ the
Trustees beg leave to mention, that having re-
ceived two hundred dollars from the Public
Treasurj^ the same, together with a further
sum of about sixty dollars, collected bj^ volun-
tary contribution, has been carefully expended
in the purchase of a neat set of Globes and
Maps, with some Mathematical Apparatus
and about one hundred and thirty-two vol-
umes of choice books for the Academy Library.
124 MEMOIRS OF
The same are placed under the immediate con-
trol of the present Principal Tutor, the Rev.
Mr. David B. Warden, a gentleman originally
from the University of Glasgow, in Scotland,
but last from Kinderhook, where he stood as
a teacher till called to this Academy about
seventeen months since. He with only one
usher to assist him, has now the charge of
fiftj^-three students — a number exceeding any
heretofore known at one and the same time,
and for \vhom the Trustees are desirous of
providing another usher, but find the means
inadequate. The students arranged in classes
are taught the Latin and Greek languages,
Elementary and Practical Geometry, Mathe-
matics, Logic, Moral and Natural Philosophy,
Ancient Historj^ Geography, the Historj^ and
Government of the United States, and
the French language. Two of the present
students are from two neighboring States, viz:
one from Marjdand, and the other from Penn-
sylvania. Twenty others are from six neigh-
boring counties, viz: one from New York, one
from Westchester, seven from Dutchess, five
from Columbia, one from Albany', and five
from Greene, and the remaining thirty-one be-
long to this County; thus this nursery for sci-
ence will, with the blessing of a kind Provi-
dence, spread her fruits far and wide.
"In order to render the Academy more ex-
tensivel3^ useful, the Trustees have for several
years past assigned a large convenient room
on the first floor for the use of an English
School, which generally consists of twenty-five
to thirty scholars, who are taught reading,
writing, and arithmetic.
''The Trustees beg leave to add, that none
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. ]25
of the English scholars have been enumerated
with the Latin students reported to the Hon-
orable Regents, and which they have under-
stood to have been the case from some neigh-
boring Seminaries, in order thej^ presume,
thereby to receive a larger share of the bounty
of the State. Be that as it may, the Trustees
of Kingston Academy have with pleasure ob-
served the means adopted by the Honorable
Legislature for the encouragement of Litera-
ture, and rest satisfied that their own exer-
tions in this laudable undertaking, will not
fail to meet with every assistance in the power
of a generous Regency to afford them. In
testimony whereof, we have caused our com-
mon seal to be thereunto affixed. Witness,
the Rev. George J. L. Doll, our President of
our Academy, this 3rd day of January, 1803.
"George J. L. Doll, President.
"Attested. Aben B. Bancker, Secretary."
"From an entry in the minutes of a meet-
ing held b\^ the board on the 30th day of Sep-
tember, 1803, it appears that upon the pre-
ceding application, the regents donated to the
Academy the sum of one hundred pounds,
which was received into the treasury, and ap-
propriated to the discharge of a balance due
Mr. Smith, their former principal, to the pur-
chase of a new bell, for the Academy, and the
residue paid to Mr. Warden, on account of his
salary. The bell purchased at that time is
probably the same bell which was in the pres-
ent academy until recently.
"On the 31st of January 1804, the Trus-
tees of Kingston Academy prepared two mem-
orials to the Regents of the Universit}^ and
126 MEMOIRS OF
the Legislature of the State, soliciting the
vsanction of the former in founding a College
within the town of Kingston; and aiso the aid
of the latter towards building and endowing
the said College.
"The establishment of a college being de-
nied them, the then Trustees of the Corpora-
tion of Kingston, conveyed the whole of the
real property which had been designed for a
college fund to the trustees of Kingston Acad-
emj^ as a fund for that institution. This deed
is dated March 15th, 1804, and conveyed over
eight hundred acres of land, including the tri-
angular lot in the village of Kingston upon
which the present academy building is situ-
ated."
\ (Schoonmaker'8 History of Kingston.)
^TCH OF REV. DR. G. J. L. DOLL, THE LAST
PASTOR TO PREACH IN DUTCH IN THE FIRST
REF. DUTCH CHURCH OF KINGSTON, UL-
STER COUNTY, N. Y.
"The Dolls were Hollanders. The Rev.
Dr. George J. L. Doll, a prominent citizen of
Kingston, N. Y., when that old town was
conspicuous in the work of making history,
came from Holland long before our Revolu-
tion. He was a ver\^ learned man, and an en-
thusiastic patriot. Portions of his corres-
pondence with Governor George Clinton, and
General Washington are preserved.
"At the Centennial celebration of the
State of New York, held at Kingston, July,
1877, the Mayor introduced the Rev. Dr. J. C.
F. Hoes, who read a letter of congratulation
from the Rev. Dr. Doll, directlv bearins:^ on the
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 127
event commemorated, prefacing the same with
appropriate remarks, as follows:
"IvADiEs AND Gentlemen: — A few weeks
since I was in the St^ite Library at Albany,
searching for information relative to the early
settlement of Kingston, and the establishment
of the Reformed Dutch Church in this place,
when I found among the Clinton papers the
original of the letter, which it is deemed proper
and appropriate should be read on this Cente-
nary occasion. It was written by the Rev.
Dr. George J. L. Doll, in behalf of the Consist-
ory of the Church of Kingston, of which he
was at that time pastor, and addressed to his
Bxcellency George Clinton on the occasion of
his inauguration as the first Governor of the
State of New York. The Consistory was com-
posed of the following named gentlemen:
Elders — Johannes Van Keuren, Herman Roosa,
Benjamin Ten Brough, Ezekiel Masten. Dea-
cons— Genit Freer, Abraham Elmendorf, Con-
rad Newkirk, Tob3''as Swart. Kerkmeester or
Church Warden — William Eltring.
"Dr. Doll was the last of that venerable
catalogue of divines, commencing with the
Rev. Hermanns Blom in 1659, who were thor-
oughlj'- educated in the Universities of Hol-
land and German3% and who, as pastors,
preached in the Dutch language to the people
in this place and its vicinity. His ministry
commenced in 1775 and continued until his
death, in 1811. He was the father-in-law of
the late Hon. James Vanderpoel, and his
granddaughter w^as the wife of John Van Bur-
en, and daughter-in-law^ of the late ex-Presi-
dent Van Buren.
*'The Reformed Dutch Church, of which
128 MEMOIRS OF
Dr. Doll was pastor for the period of thirty-
six years, was established in 1659 — that is,
118 3^ears before the inauguration of George
Clinton as the first Governor of the State of
New York.
''The Church edifice in which Dr. Doll
commenced his ministry in Kingston was ded-
icated to the worship of God by the Rev.
George Wilhelmus Mancius, 29th November,
1752, N. S. and was burned on the 16th of
October, 1777, when Kingston was taken by
the British under General Vaughn.
"There are some reasons to believe that
the British forces, at first, hesitated to burn
the church, but when they learned of the
patriotism of Dr. Doll and his Consistory, they
no longer hesitated sacrilegiously to apply the
torch to the house of God. It is only a few
weeks since I first learned of the exist-
ence of anj^thing ^^hich would give a true con-
ception of this Church. And I take the liberty
of holding up to your view the only picture in
existence of this ancient and venerable house
of the Lord. But I proceed to read the letter
of Dr. Doll."
(Copy of Letter.)
"To His Excellency, George Clinton,
Esqr., Governor, General and Commander-in-
Chief of all the Militia, and Admiral of the
Navy of the State of New York.
"Maj^ It Please Your Excellenc}^: At the
commencement of the New Constitution, and
at the YQTj hour of j^our inauguration, the
Minister, Elders, and Deacons of the Reformed
Dutch Church of Kingston, in Consistory as-
sembled, beg leave to congratulate your Ex-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 129
cellency upon the highest honors the subject
of a free State can possess, and to assure you
of the part they bear in the public happiness
of this occasion.
''From the beginning of the present war
the Consistory and the people of Kingston
have been uniformlj^ attached to the cause of
America, and justify upon the soundest princi-
ples of religion and morality the glorious rev-
olution of a free and oppressed country.
''Convinced of the unrighteous design of
Great Britain upon their civil and religious
privileges, thej^ chose, without hesitation,
rather to suffer with a brave people for a sea-
son, than to enjoy the luxuries and friendship
of a wicked and cruel nation.
"With an inexpressible perseverance
which thc}^ trust the greatest adversity and
persecution will never change, they profess to
3^our Excellency their interest in the Continent-
al Union and loyalty to the State of New
York.
"While the Constitution is preserved in-
violate, and the rulers steer by that conspicu-
ous beacon, the people have the fairest pros-
pects of happiness and success. With you
the3^ choose to launch that future pilots may
form a precedent from your vigilance, impar-
tiality and firmness, and the sj^stem obtain an
establishment that shall last for ages. For as
nothing can be more agreeable to the con-
scious patriot than the approbation of his
countr\^, so nothing can more promote the
general good than placing confidence in estab-
lished characters, and raising merit to distin-
guished power.
"Take, then, with the acclamations and
130 MEMOIRS OF
fullest confidence of the ptiblic — take, Sir, the
government into your hands and let the un-
solicited voice of a whole State prevail upon
you to enter upon the arduous task.
"All ranks, in placing j^ou at their head,
have pledged their lives and fortunes to sup-
port and defend you in this exalted station,
and the Consistory of Kingston cheerfully
unite in the implicit stipulation, and promise
you their praj^ers.
"As a reformation in morals is the imme-
diate object of the Consistorj'^ of Kingston,
thc}^ esteem themselves especialh' happy in
having cause to believe, that religious liberty
(without which all other privileges are not
worth enjoying) will be strenuously supported
by your Excellency; and the^^ congratulate
themselves and the State, that God has given
them a Governor who understands, and there-
fore loves the Christian Religion, and who in
his administration will prove a terror to evil
doers, and an example and patron to them
that do well.
"Signed b3^ order of the Consistorv.
"Geo. J. L. Doll. Prmisr
"August 2, 1777."
"Dr. Doll was also the first President of
the Board of Kingston Academy-, after its in-
corporation, having been chosen to that posi-
tion in 1802, being senior member of the
Board. In 1803, President Doll addressed a
letter to the Regents of the University seeking
aid for the institution, which was represented
to be 'equal in usefulness to anj^ like establish-
ment in the State. '
"The Regents responded with a gift of
$500. The following year the^^ were memori-
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 131
alized for sanction and aid in the establish-
ment of a college. But that appeal was not
successful. The Regents thought the scheme
inexpedient, and so the matter was dropped.
"More than a quarter of a century ago
the following article appeared in one of the
Kingston papers:
''Mr. Editor:
"Your correspondent has been engaged in
collecting some reminiscences of the former
pastors of the (1st) Reformed Dutch Church
of Kingston. The records of the church fur-
nish very meagre material on the subject, and
with reference to some of them, none what-
ever. This is the case with regard to the Rev.
Dr. George J. L. Doll, the last one of the list of
venerable pastors who officiated in the Dutch
Language.
"Almost in despair of obtaining any au-
thentic information respecting Dr. Doll, your
correspondent was advised to write to an
aged Grand-daughter* of the Dominie resid-
ing in Delaware Co. From this source he has
received the following items of information
which it is desirable should be published, not
merely for the information of the present gen-
eration, but for their preservation as a part of
the history of that church.
"This Grand-daughter of Dr. Doll informs
your correspondent, that although at the
time of his decease she was very young, she
has a perfect recollection ot him. On reaching
America (in 1770) he went to Fort Orange,
(Albany) where he remained five j^ears,
preaching in the Dutch and French Languages.
Then he accepted a "Call" to the First Dutch
'^'Mrs. C. C. Q. Barber, of Colchester, Delaware County, N. Y.
182 MEMOIRS OF
Church of Kingston, where he remained until
1808, a period of more than thirty-five years.
In consequence of his failing health, the Rev.
John Gosman was called to be his colleague
and was reqtiired to preach three-fourths of
the time in the English Language leaving the
other fourth to be filled bj^ Dr. Doll, with
Dutch preaching. Dr. Doll continued, how-
ever, as his health permitted, to preach for the
pleasure and edification of his fiock — the old
Dutch People — on Sabbath afternoons.
"In May 1809, he went to live with his
youngest daughter, Mrs. James Vanderpoel, of
Kinderhook, where he died March 28th, 1811,
and was buried in the Private Cemetery of the
late John J. Pruyn, Esqr. No monument
marks his place of rest. Your correspondent
w^ould state for the benefit of the church of
v^hich Dr. Doll had been so long a pastor, that
he had been informed that its Consistory
offered to have his remains brought to Kings-
ton and interred beneath the old Church edi-
fice in which he had preached so long and
faithfully, beside those of his wife, according
to the custom of those da3^s, but the friends at
Kinderhook preferred that he should be buried
at that place, where some of his family are in-
terred.
"An appropriate sermon was preached
for Dr. Doll on the Sabbath succeeding his
death, by the Rev. John Gosman, in the
church at Kingston, from Revelations 14th
chapter and 13th verse (Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord, from henceforth, etc.)
"The following Obituar3^ notice was pub-
lished in one of our village papers at the time,
a copy of which has been forwarded to your
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 133
correspondent from the source above alluded
to:
DIED.
"On Tlnirsda^v last at Kinderhook, the
Rev. Dr. George J. L.Doll, late minister of the
Reformed Dutch Church in this village, in the
72nd year of his age.
"One who knew his virtues and shared
his confidence has furnished us with the fol-
lowing outline of his character. 'His unblem-
ished life— his ardent zeal in the cause of relig-
ion, the purity of his life and morals, and the
Christian meekness w^hich adorned his charac-
ter proclaimed him the messenger of truth
The legate of the skies.
" 'Although he had no relatives in this
country, the unspotted excellence of his life
had attached to him many distinguished
friends. He had no enemies, his unwearied
pams to spread the Gospel blessings, and to
preach Christ and him crucified, had endeared
him to every member of his flock. By him the
violated law^ spoke out its thunders; and by
him, m strains as sw^eet as Angels use the Gos-
pel whispered peace.'
"A funeral sermon adapted to the occa-
sion will be dehvered in the Church in wdiich
Dr. Doll was so long a pastor, on Sabbath
morning next, by the Rev. Mr. Gosman.
"Dr. Doll w-as born in 1739, and married
Christina Ettkin, of Manheim, Germany, by
whom he had five children: Adam T Doll
John Jacob Doll, William Henrv Doll, Sarah
Doll and Anna Doll, w^ho married the late
Judge Vanderpoel, of Kinderhook, and the
daughter w^ith wdiom he resided after the
134 MEMOIRS OF
death of his wife, at Kingston, N. Y., October
18th, 1805, aged sixt^^-three j-ears and six
months. Rev. Dr. Doll's eldest son, Adam T.
Doll, married, 1st, Cornelia Tappen, and after
her death he married Alaria Christina Beau-
man, third daughter of Colonel Sebastian
Beauman, of Revolutionary fame. His second
son, John Jacob, never married. His third
son, Dr. William Henr\^ Doll, married the sec-
ond daughter of Colonel Beauman, Sophia
Christina. His eldest daughter, Sarah, mar-
ried Leonard Ten Broeck.
"Rev. Dr. Doll's son, William Henrj^ was
probably the first physician located in the
town of Wawarsing. Dr. Benjamin R. Bevier,
father of the present ph^^sician of that name,
was for a time a partner with Dr. William H.
Doll, and became his successor.
"Dr. Doll was also the second supervisor
of the town of Wawarsing, having held the
office 1810 to 1812, and again 1820 to
1821. He represented the County in the
State Assembly in 1817. The Doctor was a
man of much abilit^^ influential in the County
and with a wide and valuable acquaintance in
the State. Martin Van Buren, when Presi-
dent, was a frequent visitor at his house.
"Being on intimate terms with the Living-
stons, Dr. William Doll purchased a large tract
of land of the proprietor of Livingston Manor,
who then owned about one half of the town of
Rockland. This property came into the pos-
session of his son, George J. L. Doll, who went
up there to reside, and who married Nancj^
Overton, eldest daughter of David and Eliza-
beth Overton, the early pioneers of that reg-
ion, and inentioned at some length by James
B. Quinlan, in his history of Sullivan County.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 135
"George J. L. Doll continued to reside on
his farm at Livingston Manor until his death,
September 16th, 1872, but his health failing,
his son, Alexander, took possession of the
farm but his father continued to reside with
him until the latter's decease.
"Alexander, son of George J. L. Doll, died
at Livingston Manor, April 2, 1890.
"The Ellenville Journal of April 11, 1890,
in connection with a notice of the death of
Alexander Doll, says: 'Deceased was a thrifty
farmer, a worthy Christian man and a highly
respected citizen. He had been sick a month,
having been attacked with the prevalent di-
sease, influenza, which was succeeded by a
fever. '
"Mr. Doll had been for many years a
member of the Methodist Church. He also
belonged to the Manor Lodge of F. and A. M.,
and his funeral on Friday was with Masonic
honors. He had been twice married, his first
wife was Miss Hannah Yoorhees, of Beaverkill.
His second wife was Mrs. Sarah Gillett, who
survives him, with a son by a former husband.
"Mr. Doll leaves no children. He is sur-
vived by a brother, Beauman, who resides in
the vicinity of Livingston Manor, and b}' four
sisters, all of w^hom were present at the funer-
al: Mrs. Sarah S. Yoorhees, of Beaverkill, Mrs.
Agnes J. La Rue, of Campbell Hall, Mary
Christina, wife of Eli W. Fairchild, of Monti-
cello, and Mrs. Charles L. Barber, residing in
Michigan. Another sister, Rachel, wife of
Hiram Beach, died several years ago.
"Their father also is dead, but the mother
survives,* and resided with Mr. Doll. Alex-
♦Mrs. Doll departed this life September 29th, 189s, at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. E. W. Fairchild.
136 MEMOIRS OF
ander's father was George J. L. Doll, who was
the eldest of a large famih- of children of Dr.
William Henry DoU. a distinguished citizen of
the town of Wa warsing,* w^ho resided in Napa-
noch, the premises now owned and occupied
by Mr. L. D. B. Hoor nbeek, and long known
as 'the Doll house.'
''The only living member of Dr. William
H. Doll's famil3'- is Mr. Sebastian Beauman
Doll,t now residing with his niece, Mrs. Loui-
sa B. Hoor nbeek, at Napanoch.
"The late Mrs. Jacob S. Van Wagener,
mother of J. J. Van Wagener and C. T. Van
Wagener, and Mrs. John T. DeWitt was one
of the number. Mrs. Hoor nbeck's mother,
A. C. Saulpaugh, now deceased, w^as a daugh-
ter of Dr. William H. Doll; his youngest
daughter, Sarah, married Mr. Samuel Rock-
well, of Ellenville, but died wathout leaving
children.
"Dr. Doll and wife and many of his chil-
dren are buried in the old cemeter^^ at Wa-
warsing where repose the remains of many of
their ancestors. Notably those of Mrs. Chris-
tina Wetzell, daughter of Dr. Ernest, of Man-
heim, German^-, a martyr of the Reformed re-
ligion at the Stake.
"Miss Ernest came to America with her
older sister, Mrs. Maria Regina Kemper, who
emigrated to this countrj^ from Caub-on-the
Rhine in Germany J wdth her familj^ consisting
of her husband, Jacob Kemper, and two
daughters, Anna Gertrude and Maria Sophia,
afterwards Mrs. John Morton, of New York,
-Named by the Indians and meaning "The Blackbird's Nest."
+Now deceased, December 5, 1896.
tin mi.
COLONEL SEBASTIAN BEAUMAN. 137
stjded by the British the 'Rebel Banker,' as he
converted the most of his property into money
and deposited it in the Loan Office during the
War of the Revolution."
THE END.
NOTE : The spelling of the name Beauman seems to
have been changed to Bauman at some thiie during the life
of the subject of this Memoir. In all documents that
have been copied, the spelling is retained as given therein.
The name was originally spelled with the "e."
In the copying of old documents the forms of speech,
spelling, and capitalization have been retained as they were
therein.
^? n 1 ad
^^■
<'.
' -^ . r
.-5^"^ .
<'
.»^'\ '.\... .'^'^ -^i^^- .^v^. :i
^ -
•^
^^-"^
V ^>i^'-/
.'^^^
,V^
r .r.
V,'
0
OBBS BROS. • ry^4^.^fe> \ , ^ : <1PK^ . ° ^ • ^-'
0 ° " °